Henri Sauval facts for kids
Henri Sauval (born 1623, died 1676) was a French historian. He spent his life studying the history of Paris, the capital city of France.
About Henri Sauval
Henri Sauval was born in Paris, France. He was baptized on March 5, 1623. His father was a lawyer in the French Parliament.
Sauval dedicated most of his life to researching old documents. These documents were kept in the archives of his home city, Paris. He wanted to write a complete history of the city.
His Main Work
In 1656, Sauval even got permission to print his book. He called it Paris ancien et moderne (Old and Modern Paris). However, he passed away on March 21, 1676. When he died, his big work was still unfinished. It was only a manuscript, meaning it was handwritten.
Years later, his friend and helper, Claude Bernard Rousseau, published the book. It came out in 1724. The new title was Histoire et recherches des antiquites de la ville de Paris. This means "History and Research on the Antiquities of the City of Paris."
The Book's Journey
The published book was changed quite a bit. Rousseau added some long parts that Sauval had not written. Even so, the book was important. It was printed again in 1733 and 1750.
Sadly, Sauval's original handwritten book was lost. It disappeared during the fires of the Paris Commune in 1871. This was a time of great unrest in Paris. A historian named Le Roux de Lincy had been working on an improved version of the original. But his notes and the original manuscript were destroyed in the fires.
Even though the original was lost, Le Roux de Lincy's research about Sauval still exists. He wrote several articles about Sauval in a special magazine.
