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Jules MicheletFrench historian and moralist
Date of Birth: 21.08.1798
Country:  France |
Content:
Biography of Jules Michelet
Jules Michelet was a French historian and moralist, best known as a representative of romantic narrative historiography in the 19th century. He was born on August 21, 1798, in Paris, into the family of a bankrupt printer. Despite a difficult childhood, he received an education and became a professor of history at the College Sainte-Barbe in 1822, and later at the Higher Normal School in 1827.
One of Michelet's notable achievements was his translation of Giambattista Vico's "New Science," which explored the development of humanity from barbarism to civilization. In 1831, he published works such as "Introduction to Universal History" and "Roman History," which brought him recognition.
From 1833 onwards, he published volumes of his "History of France" (Histoire de France), a true biography of the French nation. According to Michelet, France emerged through the blending of various nationalities and followed its own path, creating its own system and rulers.
In 1838, Michelet became a professor at the College de France. The essence of his moral and political views, which he conveyed to an enthusiastic audience with his gift of eloquence, can be found in his book "The People" (Le Peuple, 1846). From 1847 to 1853, he published his work "History of the French Revolution" (Histoire de la révolution française), where epic descriptions of events were accompanied by a preaching of humanism that opposed traditional Catholicism.
In 1852, Michelet refused to swear allegiance to Louis Napoleon, resigned from his position, and went into a kind of exile. During this time, he completed his work on the "History of France" and wrote a preface for it in 1869. He also attempted to develop a "religious philosophy of the people" based on the needs of humanity, justice, and love. These ideas can be found in his works such as "Banquet" (1854), "Love" (1858), "Woman" (1860), "The Witch" (1862), "The Bible of Humanity" (1864), and "Our Sons" (1869).
Later on, his interests expanded to other areas. The exaltation of harmony and the divine unity of nature can be found in his works such as "The Bird" (1856), "The Insect" (1857), "The Sea" (1861), and "The Mountain" (1868). The defeat of France in the war with Prussia in 1870 and the rebirth of the republic brought Michelet back to his duties as a historian of the French republic. He published several works during this time, including "France Facing Europe" (La France devant l'Europe, 1871) and the first two volumes of "History of the Nineteenth Century" (Histoire du XIX siècle, 1872–1873).
