Robert Folz (12 March 1910 – 5 March 1996) was a French

medievalist The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

and specialist on the

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 ...

era. Born in Metz, Folz spent his academic career at the University of Burgundy 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 ...

. Professor of history from 1947, he headed the

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

department as dean and

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

from 1968, and the faculty of arts from 1978. From 1956 he was a member of the Academy of Science, Arts, and Belles-lettres of Dijon. His papers are held, as the ''Fonds Robert Folz'', by the University of Burgundy.

Biography

Robert Folz 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 ...

during the first

Alsace–Lorraine Alsace–Lorraine (German language, German: ''Elsaß–Lothringen''), officially the Imperial Territory of Alsace–Lorraine (), was a territory of the German Empire, located in modern-day France. It was established in 1871 by the German Empire ...

, on March 12, 1910. He attended secondary school in

, then the Faculty of Nancy and finally the University of

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

. Agrégé d'histoire in 1933, he went to Berlin to write a doctoral thesis under the supervision of

Marc Bloch Marc Léopold Benjamin Bloch ( ; ; 6 July 1886 – 16 June 1944) was a French historian. He was a founding member of the Annales School of French social history. Bloch specialised in medieval history and published widely on France in the Middle ...

. The war interrupted his research. After the Allied troops landed in North Africa, he enlisted as an interpreter and took part in the liberation of Italy and France. For his services, he was awarded the American

Medal of Freedom (1945) The Medal of Freedom was a decoration established by President Harry S. Truman to honor civilians whose actions aided in the war efforts of the United States and its allies during and beyond World War II. It was intended to be awarded by the ...

. After defending his thesis on Charlemagne in 1949, he became professor of medieval history at the University of Burgundy Europe, a position he held from 1950 to 1986. From 1968 to 1978, he was head of the History Department His research focused mainly on the history of medieval Germany. A true mediator between France and Germany,Robert Folz (1910–1996). Mittler zwischen Frankreich und Deutschland
/ref> Robert Folz was instrumental in introducing the French public to the German scholarly tradition and its historians, including

Ernst Kantorowicz Ernst Hartwig Kantorowicz (May 3, 1895 – September 9, 1963) was a German historian of medieval political and intellectual history and art, known for his 1927 book '' Kaiser Friedrich der Zweite'' on Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, and '' The K ...

. A member of the Academy of Mainz, and correspondent of the

Institut de France The ; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the . It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute manages approximately ...

and the British Academy, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the

University of Mainz The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz () is a public research university in Mainz, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany. It has been named after the printer Johannes Gutenberg since 1946. it had approximately 32,000 students enrolled in around 100 a ...

. Robert Folz died on March 5, 1996. He is the father of businessman

Jean-Martin Folz Jean-Martin Folz (born 11 January 1947) is a French businessman. He was the chairman and CEO of PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1997 to 2007. Biography Jean-Martin Folz is the son of medieval historian Robert Folz. After graduating from the Lycé ...

Select bibliography

* ''Le souvenir et la légende de Charlemagne dans l'Empire germanique médiéval.'' (1950) * ''The concept of empire in Western Europe from the fifth to the fourteenth century.'' (1953, translation published 1969) * ''The coronation of Charlemagne. 25 December 800.'' (1964, translation published 1974) * ''Les saints rois du Moyen Âge en Occident, (VIe-XIIIe siècles).'' (1984) * ''Les saintes reines du Moyen Âge en Occident (VIe-XIIIe siècles).'' (1992)

References

Sources

* Pierre Riché, ''Dictionnaire des Francs: Les Carolingiens,'' s.v. "Folz (Robert)". Bartillat, 1997. French medievalists 1910 births 1996 deaths 20th-century French historians French male non-fiction writers University of Burgundy alumni 20th-century French male writers Corresponding fellows of the British Academy Historians of monarchy and royalty {{France-historian-stub