Louis Alphonse Daniel Nicolas (1864–1939)—better known by his

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

A. L. M. Nicolas—was a Persian-born French historian and scholar of

Oriental studies Oriental studies is the academic field that studies Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology. In recent years, the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Middle Eastern studie ...

who is best known today for his early work on

Shaykhism Shaykhism () is a term used by Shia Muslims for the followers of Shaykh Ahmad in early 19th-century Qajar Iran. While grounded in traditional Twelver Shiʻi doctrine, Shaykhism diverged from the Usuli school in its interpretation of key ideas s ...

and

Bábism Bábism () is a Messianism, messianic movement founded in 1844 by Báb, the Báb ( 'Ali Muhammad). The Báb, an Iranian merchant-turned-prophet, professed that there is one incorporeal, unknown, and incomprehensible GodEdward Granville Browne ...

. Although primarily remembered for his academic contributions, Nicolas worked as an interpreter and diplomat with the French Consular Service in Persia for most of his life. Nicolas was among the first Western orientalist to devote substantial attention to the life and teachings of the revolutionary Persian religious figure known as the

Báb The Báb (born ʻAlí-Muḥammad; ; ; 20 October 1819 – 9 July 1850) was an Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbai ...

, and his work continues to serve as an important source for the study of the early history of Shaykhism, Bábism and the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

Biography

Nicolas was born on 27 March 1864, in Rasht, in the

Gilan province Gilan Province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, in the northwest of the country and southwest of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Rasht. The province lies along the Caspian Sea, in Iran's Regions of Iran, Region 3, west of ...

of Iran where his father was stationed with the French Consular Service in Persia. As a young man he learned to speak French, Persian and Russian, going on to study at the Special School for Oriental Languages in Paris. After his studies, Nicolas followed his father's footsteps, joining the consular services in which he served as leading Persian interpreter. An ongoing disagreement between Nicolas's father and

Arthur de Gobineau Joseph Arthur de Gobineau (; 14 July 1816 – 13 October 1882) was a French writer and diplomat who is best known for helping introduce scientific race theory and "racial demography", and for developing the theory of the Aryan master race and N ...

—secretary and chargé d’affarires at the French legation in Persia, who would go on to be an influential orientalist—led Nicolas to read Gobineau's book ''Les Religions et Les Philosophies dan l'Asie Centrale''. While Nicolas agreed with his father's assessment of Gobineau's work as riddled with errors resulting from Gobineau's limited grasp of Persian and lack of research acumen, it was through this work that he was first exposed to the life and teachings of the Báb. As a result of his research, Nicolas befriended an employee of the consulate who was a member of the Baháʼí Faith, and who assisted him to meet local Bábís and Baháʼís. As Nicolas continued studying, his interest did not remain purely academic. He developed friendships with local members of the two religions, and undertook to translate a selection of Bábí scriptures. Over the course of translating the Báb's Persian Bayán and Dalá'il-i-Sab'ih (The Seven Proofs) from Persian to French, he developed a growing appreciation for the teachings and person of the Báb, came to identify as a follower of the Báb, or a Bábí. In a 1939 interview, he described this experience:

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolas, A. L. M. 1864 births 1939 deaths People from Rasht 19th-century French historians 19th-century French diplomats