Gabriel-Henri Gaillard (26 March 1726 – 13 February 1806) was a French historian.

Life

Gaillard was born in Ostel,

Picardy Picardy (; Picard language, Picard and , , ) is a historical and cultural territory and a former regions of France, administrative region located in northern France. The first mentions of this province date back to the Middle Ages: it gained it ...

. He was educated for the bar, but after finishing his studies adopted a literary career, ultimately devoting his chief attention to history. He was already a member of the Academy of Inscriptions and, Belles-lettres (1760), when, after the publication of the three first volumes of his ''Histoire de la rivalité de la France et d'Angleterre'', he was elected to the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

(1771); and when

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

created the Institute he was admitted into its third class (Académie française) in 1803. For forty years he was the intimate friend of Malesherbes, whose life (1805) he wrote. He died at St Firmin, near

Chantilly Chantilly may refer to: Places France *Chantilly, Oise, a city ** US Chantilly, a football club *Château de Chantilly United States * Chantilly, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Chantilly (Charlotte neighborhood), North Carolina ...

, on 13 February 1806. According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition, "Gaillard is painstaking and impartial in his statement of facts, and his style is correct and elegant, but the unity of his narrative is somewhat destroyed by digressions, and by his method of treating war, politics, civil administration, and ecclesiastical affairs under separate heads." His most important work was his ''Histoire de la rivalité de la France et de l'Angleterre'' (in 11 vols., 1771–1777); and among his other works may be mentioned: *''Essai de la rhétorique française à l'usage des demoiselles'' (1745), often reprinted, and in 1822 with a life of the author *''Histoire de Marie de Bourgogne'' (1757) *''Histoire de François I'' (5 vols., 1776–1779) *''Histoire des grandes querelles entre Charles V. et François II'' (2 vols., 1777) *''Histoire dc Charlemagne'' (2 vols., 1782) *''Histoire de la rivalité de la France et de l'Espagne'' (8 vols., 1801) *''Dictionnaire historique'' (6 vols., 1789–1804), making part of the ''Encyclopédie methodique'' *''Mélanges littéraires'', containing éloges on

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

, Henry IV, Descartes, Corneille,

La Fontaine Jean de La Fontaine (, ; ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his ''Fables'', which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Euro ...

, Malesherbes and others.

References

Attribution: * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaillard, Gabriel-Henri 1726 births 1806 deaths 18th-century French historians Members of the Académie Française Expelled members of the Académie Française Members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres French male non-fiction writers 18th-century French male writers