Louis-Pierre Anquetil

Louis-Pierre Anquetil (February 21, 1723 – September 6, 1808) was a French historian.

He was born in Paris. In 1741 he joined the religious community of the Génofévains, where he took holy orders and became professor of theology and literature. Later, he became rector of the seminary at Reims, where he wrote his "Histoire civile et politique de Reims" (5 vols., 1756-1757), perhaps his best work. He was then director of the college of Senlis, where he composed his "Esprit de la Ligue, ou histoire politique des troubles de France pendant les XVI^e et XVII^e siècles" (1767).

During the Reign of Terror he was imprisoned at St-Lazare; there he began his "Précis de l'histoire universelle", afterwards published in three volumes. On the establishment of the Institut de France he was elected a member of the second group (moral and political sciences), and was soon afterwards employed in the office of the ministry of foreign affairs, profiting by his experience to write his "Motifs des guerres et des traités de paix sous Louis XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI".

He is said to have been asked by Napoleon to write his "Histoire de France" (14 vols,, 1805), a mediocre compilation at second or third hand, with the assistance of de Mézeray or Paul François Velly (1709-1759). This work, nevertheless, went through numerous editions, and made Anquetil famous. It was continued by Bouillet in 6 more volumes.

His younger brother, Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetil-Duperron was a famous orientalist.

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