Charles Ancillon (28 July 16595 July 1715)"Ancillon, Charles" in '' The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 378. was a French

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...

and diplomat.

Life

Ancillon was born in

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

into a distinguished family of

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

s. His father, David Ancillon (1617–1692), was obliged to leave France on the revocation of the

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was an edict signed in April 1598 by Henry IV of France, King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinism, Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantl ...

, and became pastor of the French

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

community in Berlin. Ancillon studied law at

Marburg Marburg (; ) is a college town, university town in the States of Germany, German federal state () of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf Districts of Germany, district (). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has ...

, Geneva and Paris, where he was called to the bar. At the request of the Huguenots at Metz, he pleaded its cause at the court of King

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

, urging that it should be excepted in the revocation of the

, but his efforts were unsuccessful, and he joined his father in Berlin. He was at once appointed by Elector Frederick III "''juge et directeur de colonie de Berlin''." He also became the first headmaster of

Französisches Gymnasium Berlin The Französisches Gymnasium () is a francophone gymnasium in Berlin, Germany. Traditionally, it is widely regarded as an elite high school. It is also the oldest public school in Berlin. Its creation was ordered by Frederick William of Brandenbu ...

. Before this, he had published several works on the revocation of the Edict of Nantes and its consequences, but his literary capacity was mediocre, his style stiff and cold, and it was his personal character rather than his reputation as a writer that earned him the confidence of the elector. In 1687 Ancillon was appointed head of the so-called ''Academie des nobles,'' the principal educational establishment of the state; later on, as councillor of embassy, he took part in the negotiations which led to the assumption of the title of "

King in Prussia King ''in'' Prussia (German language, German: ''König in Preußen'') was a title used by the Prussian kings (also in personal union Elector of Brandenburg, Electors of Brandenburg) from 1701 to 1772. Subsequently, they used the title King ''of' ...

" by the elector. In 1699 he succeeded

Samuel Pufendorf Samuel von Pufendorf (; ; 8 January 1632 – 26 October 1694) was a German people, German jurist, political philosopher, economist and historian. He was born Samuel Pufendorf and Nobility, ennobled in 1694; he was made a baron by Charles XI of ...

as historiographer to the elector, and the same year replaced his uncle Joseph Ancillon as judge of all the French refugees in the

Margraviate of Brandenburg The Margraviate of Brandenburg () was a major principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1157 to 1806 that, having electoral status although being quite poor, grew rapidly in importance after inheriting the Duchy of Prussia in 1618 and then came ...

. Ancillon is mainly remembered for what he did for education in Brandenburg-Prussia, and the share he took, in co-operation with

Gottfried Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (or Leibnitz; – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat who is credited, alongside Isaac Newton, Sir Isaac Newton, with the creation of calculus in ad ...

, in founding the Academy of Berlin. Of his fairly numerous works the most valued is the "''Histoire de l'etablissement des Francais refugies dans les etats de Brandebourg''" published in Berlin in 1690.

Family

* Friedrich Ancillon, his grandson, a Prussian historian and statesman

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ancillon, Charles 1659 births 1715 deaths Lawyers from Metz 18th-century French historians Diplomats for the Kingdom of Prussia 17th-century French lawyers Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences Huguenots