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Franois GuizotFrench historian, critic, politician and statesman
Date of Birth: 04.10.1787
Country:  France |
Content:
- Biography of François Guizot
- Political Career
- Contributions and Works
- François Guizot passed away on October 12, 1874, in Val-Richer.
Biography of François Guizot
François Guizot was a French historian, critic, and political and statesman. He was born in Nîmes on October 4, 1787. His Protestant parents welcomed the revolution of 1789, but his father was executed during the Terror. After spending six years in Geneva, Guizot returned to Paris in 1805 and lived off his literary earnings. With the help of influential friends, he obtained a position as a professor at the University of Paris in 1812.
Political Career
Guizot's political career began in 1814 with the Restoration. By 1819, he emerged as one of the most active "doctrinaires," constitutional royalists who advocated for a limited monarchy. However, he was displaced by the ultra-royalists in 1820, which led him to focus on scholarly research. His political reputation was solidified with lectures at the Sorbonne from 1828 to 1830, and with the efforts of liberals, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1830.
Guizot had to come to terms with the revolution of 1830, and he shifted to conservative positions. He became one of the initiators of reforms that aimed to establish a "golden mean" between anarchy and despotism, following the English model. He served as Minister of the Interior, Education, Foreign Affairs, and eventually became the Prime Minister in 1847. When the revolution of 1848 broke out, Guizot fled to London and resumed his historical research. He returned to France in 1849, maintaining a wide circle of friends and influence in the French Academy.
Contributions and Works
Among Guizot's major works are "History of the English Revolution from the Time of Charles I" (Histoire de la rvolution d'Angleterre depuis Charles I, 1826-1827), "History of Civilization in Europe" (Histoire de la civilisation en Europe, 1828), and "History of Civilization in France" (Histoire de la civilisation en France, 1830). He also compiled a large collection of documents on French history in 25 volumes and on English history in 31 volumes. After 1848, Guizot wrote six additional volumes on the history of 17th-century England, his own memoirs in nine volumes, and the skillfully written "History of France, Told to My Grandchildren" (Histoire de France racontée à mes petits-enfants, 1870).
