About
François Guizot (1787-1874) was a French historian and politician. A Protestant, he became professor of modern history at the Sorbonne in 1812. A leader of the Doctrinaires, he served as Minister of Public Instruction (1832-1837) and secured the passage of the Guizot Law of 1833, which established public primary education. Minister of Foreign Affairs and then President of the Council (1847-1848), he was overthrown by the February Revolution of 1848. He authored major historical works such as the History of Civilization in Europe (1828). A member of the Académie française, he was the only person to have sat in three academies of the Institut de France.
* 1787-10-04 — † 1874-09-12
Major works
- Histoire de la civilisation en Europe (1828)historical essay
- Histoire de la civilisation en France (1829-1832)historical essay
- Histoire de la Révolution d'Angleterre (1826-1856)historical essay
- Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire de mon temps (1858-1868)memoirs
Key milestones
- 1833Secured the passage of the Guizot Law, requiring every commune with more than 500 inhabitants to maintain a public primary school.
- 1836Elected to the Académie française; he would be the only person to sit in three academies of the Institut de France.
- 1848Overthrown by the February Revolution of 1848, he retired to Val-Richer and devoted himself to history.
Themes
history of civilizationeducation and public instructionconstitutional monarchyProtestantismrevolution and order
Sources: britannica.com · guizot.com