Lusien Fevr Famous French historian. Date of Birth: 22.07.1878 Country: France

Lucien Febvre: A Renowned French Historian

Lucien Febvre was a well-known French historian, born into a family of university professor-philologists in Nancy. He graduated from the École Normale Supérieure in Paris and went on to become a professor at the University of Dijon (1911-1914), the University of Strasbourg (1919-1933), and the Collège de France in Paris (from 1933).

During his time at the University of Strasbourg, Febvre met Marc Bloch, who would later become his close friend. In 1929, Febvre and Bloch founded the journal "Annales d'histoire économique et sociale" (later renamed "Annales. Economies. Sociétés. Civilisations" in 1946), which would become the center of the "new historical science" and the "Annales School" that revolutionized the study of history.

After Bloch's death, Febvre took charge of the journal "Annales." Febvre was an encyclopedically educated and broad-minded scholar, known for his research on the history of the 16th century. Some of his notable works include "The Fate of Martin Luther" (1928), "Origène and Déperri ou La Cymbale du monde: An Enigma" (1942), "Around the Heptameron: Sacred and Secular Love" (1944), and "The Problem of Unbelief in the 16th Century: Rabelais' Religion" (1942).

Febvre's intellectual pursuits extended beyond the study of 16th-century culture and psychology. He made significant contributions to the establishment of new principles of historical knowledge, focusing on human beings, their mentality, perception, thinking patterns, and emotions. He played a crucial role in the development of the separate discipline of "History of the Book." In the 1950s, Febvre delved into studying the causes and consequences of the invention of printing. He invited a young bibliographer and historian, Henri-Jean Martin, to collaborate with him and entrusted him with the editing and preparation of their joint publication. Following Febvre's death in 1956, Martin continued their work and published the book "L'apparition du livre" ("The Appearance of the Book") in 1958. It was through his collaboration with Febvre that Martin consistently developed the discipline of the history of the book, incorporating the fundamental principles of the "Annales School."