Paul-Yves Pezron facts for kids

Paul-Yves Pezron was a Cistercian brother who lived a long time ago, from 1639 to 1706. He was from a place called Brittany in France. Pezron became famous for a book he wrote in 1703.

His book was about the idea that the Bretons (from Brittany) and the Welsh (from Wales) came from the same ancient group of people. He believed they shared a common origin and language.

Who Was Paul-Yves Pezron?

Paul-Yves Pezron was born on January 20, 1639, in Hennebont, France. He was a member of the Cistercian order, which is a type of Christian religious group. He studied a lot and became a Doctor of Theology. This means he was an expert in religious studies.

He also served as an abbot, which is like a leader of a monastery, at a place called La Charmoie. He passed away on October 9, 1706, in Brie, France.

Pezron's Work as a Chronologist

During his lifetime, Paul-Yves Pezron was known in France as a chronologist. A chronologist is someone who studies and arranges events in the order they happened over time. He was very interested in the history of ancient groups of people.

His main interest was tracing the history of the Welsh and Bretons. He believed they came from the ancient Celts.

The Origins of Celts and Languages

Pezron's book, called Antiquité de la nation, et de langue des celtes, explored his theories. He thought the Celts themselves could be traced back even further. He linked them to legendary heroes from places like Gaul (ancient France) all the way to Galatia (in modern-day Turkey).

He also had a special idea about the Welsh language. Pezron thought it came from an old "mother tongue" he called Celtick. Other experts at the time only thought of Celtick as a theory. Even though his book wasn't very scientific by today's standards, it was quite popular. People kept reprinting it until the early 1800s.