author
Charles Desmaze
1820–1900
A 19th-century French magistrate and historian, he wrote vivid works on legal history, old Paris, and the social questions of his day. His books blend archival curiosity with a strong sense of how institutions shaped everyday life.
1 Audiobook
Le crime et la débauche à Paris; Le divorce
by Charles Desmaze
About the author
Born in Saint-Quentin on March 13, 1820, and died in Paris on September 17, 1900, Charles Desmaze was a French writer whose work moved between law, history, and social commentary. Library and authority records describe him as an author, and Wikidata identifies him more specifically as a lawyer, magistrate, and historian.
Desmaze is remembered for a substantial body of nonfiction, with national library records listing dozens of works. His subjects ranged widely, including the Parlement of Paris, the University of Paris, French magistrates, legal medicine, and the history of the Palais-Royal. He also wrote on urgent social issues, including crime, prostitution, and divorce in Paris.
That mix of careful documentation and topical concern gives his books their character. Even when he was writing about institutions or earlier centuries, his work seems aimed at making the past feel useful for understanding society in his own time.