Augustin Thierry

Born in Blois in 1795, Augustin Thierry became one of the best-known French historians of his time. He studied at the École Normale Supérieure and was drawn early to liberal political ideas as well as to the writing of history.

Thierry is especially remembered for bringing narrative energy to the study of the Middle Ages. His best-known works include histories of the Norman Conquest of England and the formation of French communes, and he became an important figure in the development of modern historical writing in France.

His later years were marked by severe health problems, including failing eyesight, but he continued to work and publish. He died in 1856, leaving behind a reputation as a historian who made the struggles of earlier centuries feel immediate and alive.