Claude Fauchet (; 3 July 1530 – January 1602) was a sixteenth-century French

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic sit ...

, and pioneering romance philologist. Fauchet published the earliest printed work of literary history in a vernacular language in Europe, the ''Recueil de l'origine de la langue et poësie françoise'' (1581). He was a high-ranking official in the governments of Charles IX, Henri III, and Henri IV, serving as the president of the '' Cour des monnaies.'' Claude Fauchet par Thomas de Leu

Early life

He was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, to Nicole Fauchet, ''procureur au Châtelet'', and Geneviève Audrey, granddaughter of Jacques III De Thou. His mother was also connected through her daughter from an earlier marriage to the Godefroy family. Fauchet was thus closely connected by birth to the world of the Paris

Parlement Under the French Ancien Régime, a ''parlement'' () was a provincial appellate court of the Kingdom of France. In 1789, France had 13 ''parlements'', the original and most important of which was the ''Parlement'' of Paris. Though both th ...

. Fauchet studied at the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

before taking his degree in civil law at the

University of Orléans The University of Orléans () is a French university, in the Academy of Orléans and Tours. As of July 2015 it is a member of the regional university association Leonardo da Vinci consolidated University. History In 1230, when for a time the ...

in 1550. He subsequently travelled through northern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, visiting

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and also

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, where he made the acquaintance of the humanist

Sperone Speroni Sperone Speroni degli Alvarotti (1500–1588) was an Italian Renaissance Humanism, humanist, scholar and dramatist. He was one of the central members of Padua's literary academy ''Accademia degli Infiammati'' and wrote on both moral and literary ...

. Upon his return to Paris, Fauchet composed a series of short essays based on his wide reading in medieval French literature, much of which had not yet been printed and was only accessible in manuscript. He entitled this collection ''Les Veilles ou observations de plusieurs choses dinnes de memoire en la lecture d'aucuns autheurs françois par C.F.P.'', dated to 1555.The ''Veilles'' (French for 'vigils') are a literary

miscellany A miscellany (, ) is a collection of various pieces of writing by different authors. Meaning a mixture, medley, or assortment, a miscellany can include pieces on many subjects and in a variety of different forms. In contrast to anthologies, w ...

in the tradition of

Aulus Gellius Aulus Gellius (c. 125after 180 AD) was a Roman author and grammarian, who was probably born and certainly brought up in Rome. He was educated in Athens, after which he returned to Rome. He is famous for his ''Attic Nights'', a commonplace book, ...

's '' Attic Nights.'' The author's manuscript of this miscellany stil
exists
it was never printed in full in Fauchet's lifetime, though he would recycle parts of it in his later printed works on the history of French poetry and French magistratures.

Later life and the ''Recueil'' of 1581

Fauchet was eventually made second president of the ''Cour des monnaies'' (29 March 1569), and subsequently rose to the rank of ''premier président'' in 1581. He held this office until 1599. Among his friends and colleagues are to be counted Étienne Pasquier, Antoine Loisel, Henri de Mesmes, Louis Le Caron,

Jean-Antoine de Baïf Jean Antoine de Baïf (; 19 February 1532 – 19 September 1589) was a French poet and member of the '' Pléiade''. Life Jean Antoine de Baïf was born in Venice, the natural son of the scholar Lazare de Baïf, who was at that time French amb ...

, Jacopo Corbinelli, Gian Vincenzo Pinelli, Filippo Pigafetta, Sperone Speroni, and many other learned and erudite characters of the sixteenth century. Fauchet's most important published work is his history of the French language and its poetry, the ''Recueil de l’origine de la langue et poësie françoise'' (1581). The book is in two parts. The first part consists of a history of the development of the French language, out of a mixture of

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

with

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...

elements. The second part of the ''Recueil'' is an anthology of 127 French poets living prior to 1300. Fauchet's theorising about language formation in the first book has been praised as ahead of its time, and throughout he demonstrates a profound knowledge of contemporary linguistic theory, as well as engaging with earlier and less frequently cited traditions of linguistic theory such as Dante's ''

De vulgari eloquentia ''De vulgari eloquentia'' (, ; "On eloquence in the vernacular") is the title of a Latin essay by Dante Alighieri. Although meant to consist of four books, it abruptly terminates in the middle of the second book. It was probably composed shortly ...

''. The ''Recueil'' was much used in the following two centuries by literary historians and antiquarians curious about medieval French literature. During the Wars of Religion, as a member of the government of Henri III, Fauchet was forced to flee Paris in 1589 and could not return until 18 April 1594, now in the service of the new king, Henri IV. During this absence, Fauchet's Paris residence was sacked, resulting in the loss of his library: more than two thousand volumes, by his own account, many of which were manuscripts. Many

medieval manuscripts In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

once belonging to Fauchet now reside in the

Bibliothèque nationale de France The (; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites, ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository of all that is published in France. Some of its extensive collections, including bo ...

and the Bibllioteca Apostolica Vaticana in the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

, while some are scattered across Europe's libraries (

Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève A library is a collection of books, and possibly other materials and media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or digital (soft copies) materials, and may be a p ...

, Paris; the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

;

Berlin State Library The Berlin State Library (; officially abbreviated as ''SBB'', colloquially ''Stabi'') is a universal library in Berlin, Germany, and a property of the German public cultural organization the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (). Founded in ...

;

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

Public Library;

National Library of Sweden The National Library of Sweden (, ''KB'', meaning "the Royal Library") is Sweden's national library. It collects and preserves all domestic printed and audio-visual materials in Swedish, as well as content with Swedish association published ab ...

; Burgerbibliothek of Berne;

Biblioteca Ambrosiana The Biblioteca Ambrosiana is a historic library in Milan, Italy, also housing the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the Ambrosian art gallery. Named after Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan, it was founded in 1609 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, whose age ...

) and still many others remain unaccounted for. The wars left Fauchet poor, and in 1599 he had to sell his office in the Cour des monnaies. Fauchet published most of his print works during this period, from 1599 to his death in 1602. Henri IV, said to have been amused with an

epigram An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word derives from the Greek (, "inscription", from [], "to write on, to inscribe"). This literary device has been practiced for over two millennia ...

written by Fauchet, supposedly pensioned him with the title of historiographer of France, but there is no official record of this. He died in Paris. Fauchet has the reputation of being an impartial and scrupulously accurate writer, and in his works are to be found important facts not easily accessible elsewhere. His works taken together form a history of antiquities of

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

and of

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

and

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

France (1579, 1599, 1601, 1602), of the dignities and

magistrates The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a ''magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

of France (1600), of the origin of the French language and

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

(1581), and of the liberties of the Gallican church. A collected edition in a single massive volume was published in 1610. Fauchet read widely throughout his life among the key authors of Old and

Middle French Middle French () is a historical division of the French language that covers the period from the mid-14th to the early 17th centuries. It is a period of transition during which: * the French language became clearly distinguished from the other co ...

literature, including

chronicler A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, ...

s and historians such as

Jean Froissart Jean Froissart ( Old and Middle French: ''Jehan''; sometimes known as John Froissart in English; – ) was a French-speaking medieval author and court historian from the Low Countries who wrote several works, including ''Chronicles'' and ''Meli ...

Enguerrand de Monstrelet Enguerrand de Monstrelet ( 1400 – 20 July 1453) was a French chronicler. He was born in Picardy, most likely into a family of the minor nobility. Life In 1436 and later he held the office of lieutenant of the ''gavenier'' (i.e. receiver of the ...

, and Philippe de Commynes; and poets, such as Gace de la Buigne,

Guillaume de Lorris Guillaume de Lorris () was a French scholar and poet from Lorris. He was the author of the first section of the . Little is known about him, other than that he wrote the earlier section of the poem around 1230, and that the work was completed f ...

Jean de Meun Jean de Meun (or de Meung, ) () was a French author best known for his continuation of the '' Roman de la Rose''. Life He was born Jean Clopinel or Jean Chopinel at Meung-sur-Loire. Tradition asserts that he studied at the University of Paris. ...

Huon de Méry Huon de Méry (''fl.'' 1200–1250) was the author of (modern , "The Tournament of the Antichrist"), a 3,546-line Old French poem written in -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of Frenc ...

, Hugues de Berzé, and

Chrétien de Troyes Chrétien de Troyes (; ; 1160–1191) was a French poet and trouvère known for his writing on King Arthur, Arthurian subjects such as Gawain, Lancelot, Perceval and the Holy Grail. Chrétien's chivalric romances, including ''Erec and Enide'' ...

. Fauchet was also the first person to use the name '

Marie de France Marie de France (floruit, fl. 1160–1215) was a poet, likely born in France, who lived in England during the late 12th century. She lived and wrote at an unknown court, but she and her work were almost certainly known at the royal court of Kin ...

' to refer to the Anglo-Norman writer of the ''Lais.''

Translation of Tacitus

Alongside his work as a historian and as a civil servant, Fauchet was also the first person to translate the complete works of

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

into French. A partial translation of the ''

Annals Annals (, from , "year") are a concise history, historical record in which events are arranged chronology, chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction betw ...

'' (books XI-XVI) appeared anonymously for the first time alongside a translation of ''Annals,'' I-V, by Estienne de la Planche in an edition printed for Abel l'Angelier in 1581. The next year, l'Angelier brought out Fauchet's complete translation of the works of Tacitus (the ''Annals'', ''

Histories Histories or, in Latin, Historiae may refer to: * the plural of history * ''Histories'' (Herodotus), by Herodotus * ''The Histories'', by Timaeus * ''The Histories'' (Polybius), by Polybius * ''Histories'' by Gaius Sallustius Crispus (Sallust) ...

'', ''

Germania Germania ( ; ), also more specifically called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman provinces of Germania Inferior and Germania Superio ...

'', and ''

Agricola Agricola, the Latin word for farmer, may also refer to: People Cognomen or given name :''In chronological order'' * Gnaeus Julius Agricola (40–93), Roman governor of Britannia (AD 77–85) * Sextus Calpurnius Agricola, Roman governor of the m ...

'', but minus the ''Dialogue on Orators''), which was reprinted in 1584. A translation of the ''Dialogue on Orators'' was brought out in 1585. While these translations were not openly published under Fauchet's name until the posthumous edition of 1612, the attribution is not in question.

Fauchet's name

Fauchet enjoyed punning on the

etymology Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...

of his surname and on its

symbol A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...

ism for his activity as an antiquarian. In French, a 'fauchet' is an old-fashioned

hay rake A hay rake is an agricultural rake (tool), rake used to collect cut hay or straw into windrows for later collection (e.g. by a baler or a loader wagon). It is also designed to fluff up the hay and turn it over so that it may dry. It is also use ...

, used for gathering in the cut grass. Fauchet's personal

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

was 'sparsa et neglecta coegi', i.e. 'I have gathered scattered and neglected things', a reference to the obscure and ancient texts he collected (or 'raked in') and used for his historical research. A

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

motto which appears beneat
his portrait of 1599
reads 'Falchetus Francis sparsa & Neglecta coëgi / Lilia queis varium hoc continuatur opus.' (I Fauchet have gathered for the French scattered and neglected / lilies with which this varied work is made). In the ''Recueil'' of 1581, Fauchet proudly writes, 'suivant ma devise, j'ai recueilli ce qui estoit espars et delaissé: ou si bien caché, qu'il eust esté malaisé de le trouver sans grand travail' ('following my motto, I have gathered what was scattered and abandoned: or so well hidden, that it would have been difficult to find without much exertion'). Fauchet's activity as a collector of medieval manuscripts played a crucial role in the transmission of medieval French literature to the modern age.

Works

* 1555, ''Veilles ou observations de plusieurs choses dinnes de memoire en la lecture d'aucuns autheurs françois'', BnF MS fr. 24726, ff.1–52 * 1579, ''Recueil des antiquitez gauloises et françoises'', Paris: J. Du Puys * 1581, ''Les Annales de P. Cornile Tacite'', (books XI-XVI), Paris: Abel l'Angelier * 1581, ''Recueil de l'origine de la langue et poesie françoise, ryme et romans''. ''Plus les noms et sommaire des oeuvres de CXXVII. poetes François, vivans avant l’an M. CCC.'' Paris: Mamert Patisson * 1582, ''Les Œuvres de C. Cornilius Tacitus, Chevalier Romain'', Paris: Abel l'Angelier (first printed partially in 1581; reprinted in 1584) * 1585, ''Dialogue des orateurs'', Paris: Abel l'Angelier * 1599, ''Les Antiquitez gauloises et françoises augmentées de trois livres contenans les choses advenues en Gaule et en France jusques en l'an 751 de Jésus-Christ'', * 1600, ''Origines des dignitez et magistrats de France'', Paris: J. Périer (originally written in 1584, at the request of Henri III) * 1600, ''Origine des chevaliers, armoiries et héraux, ensemble de l'ordonnance, armes et instruments desquels les François ont anciennement usé en leurs guerres'', Paris: J. Périer * 1601, ''Fleur de la maison de Charlemaigne, qui est la continuation des Antiquitez françoises, contenant les faits de Pépin et ses successeurs depuis l'an 751 jusques à l'an 840'', Paris: J. Périer * 1602, ''Declin de la maison de Charlemaigne, faisant la suitte des Antiquitez françoises, contenant les faits de Charles le Chauve et ses successeurs, depuis l'an 840 jusques à l'an 987'', Paris: J. Périer * 1610, ''Les Œuvres de feu M. Claude Fauchet premier president en la cour des monnoyes'', Paris: Jean de Heuqueville

Opuscules and manuscripts

These three short treatises were only printed for the first time in the posthumous ''Œuvres'' of 1610: * ''Traité des Privileges et Libertez de l'Eglise gallicane'' * ''Pour le couronnement du roi Henri IV'' * ''Armes et Bastons des Chevaliers (lettre à Monsieur de Galoup sieur des Chastoil en Aix)'' The following manuscripts contain numerous unpublished writings by Fauchet on a variety of different topics: * Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS fr. 24726 (available o
Gallica
* Biblioteca apostolica vaticana, MS Reg.lat.734 * Biblioteca apostolica vaticana, MS Ottob.2537

Notes

References

* Janet Girvan Espiner-Scott, ''Claude Fauchet: Sa vie, son œuvre'', Paris: E. Droz, 1938. Espiner-Scott's works form the foundation of all modern research into Fauchet; this volume remains the best and most comprehensive study of Fauchet's life and works to date. * Urban T. Holmes and Maurice L. Radoff "Claude Fauchet and His Library" ''PMLA'' 44.1 (March 1929), pp. 229–242. Brief details of his life, lists of published works, of volumes identified as from his library and works cited by Fauchet. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fauchet, Claude 16th-century French historians 16th-century French male writers People from the Province of Île-de-France: French antiquarians Writers from Paris 1530 births 1602 deaths French male non-fiction writers