PIERRE

See also:

• PIERRE LANFREY (1828-1877)

LANFREY (1828-1877)  , French historian and politician, was born at Chambery (Savoie) on the 26th of October 1828 . His father had been one of Napoleon's officers . The son studied philosophy and history in Paris and wrote historical works of an anti-clerical and rationalizing tendency . These included L'Eglise et les philosophes ou X VIIIe siecle (1855; new edition, with a notice of the author by E. de Pressense, 1879); Essai sur la revolution frangaise (1858); Histoire politique des pages (186o); Lettres d'Everard (186o), a novel in the form of letters; Le Retablissement de la Pologne (1863) . His magnum opus was his Histoire de Napoleon I" (5 vols., 1867—1875 and 1886; Eng. trans., 4 vols., 1871—1879), which ceased unfortunately at the end of 1811 with the preparations for the Russian campaign of 1812 . This book, based on the emperor's correspondence published in 1858—1870, attempted the destruction of the legends which had grown up around his subject, and sought by a critical examination of the documents to explain the motives of his policy . In his desire to controvert current misconceptions and exaggerations of Napoleon's abilities Lanfrey unduly minimized his military and administrative genius . A stanch republican, he was elected to the National Assembly in 1871, became ambassador at Bern (1871—18'13), and life senator in 1875 . He died at Pau on the 15th of November 1877 . His fEuvres completes were published in 12 vols . (1879 seq.), and his Correspondance in 2 vols . (1885) .