Henri Justel facts for kids

Henri Justel (born 1619, died 1693) was a very smart French person. He was a scholar, which means he studied a lot. He also worked for the king of France. People knew him as Henry Justel or Henricus Justellus too. His father, Christophe Justel, was also a scholar.

Henri worked as a secretary for King Louis XIV of France. He was a Huguenot, which was a type of French Protestant. Because of his faith, he left France in 1681. This was just before a law was changed that would have made it hard for Huguenots to live in France. He moved to England. There, he became a librarian for the king at St. James's Palace. He kept this job even when William III became king.

Connecting with Others

Henri Justel was a very well-connected person. He was an intellectual, meaning he loved to think and learn. He wrote letters to many important thinkers of his time. These included John Locke, Robert Boyle, and Edmond Halley. He also wrote to Henry Oldenburg from the Royal Society. The Royal Society was a famous group of scientists in England.

Henri also corresponded with Gottfried Leibniz and Antoine Arnauld. He knew John Evelyn, who wrote a famous Diary. Henri even appears in Evelyn's diary.

He was friends with Melchisédech Thévenot, who was a traveler. Like Thévenot, Henri was interested in different places. He put together a collection of travel stories called a Recueil. Henri also ran a small "academy," which was like a club for smart people. He was a key member of the République des Lettres. This was a network of scholars and thinkers across Europe. His friend Pierre Bayle called it this. Henri's connections included Catholic churchmen too, like Daniel Huet and Richard Simon.

His Writings

Henri Justel helped create important books. Here are some of his works:

• Bibliotheca iuris canonici veteris (1661): He edited this book with G. Voellus. It was based on his father's unfinished work.
• Recueil de Divers Voyages Faits en Afrique et en l'Amerique (1674): This was his collection of different travel stories from Africa and America.