H. d' (Henry) Arbois de Jubainville

Born in Nancy on December 5, 1827, Marie-Henri d'Arbois de Jubainville first trained in law before entering the École royale des chartes, where he graduated first in his class in 1850. He went on to serve for many years as director of the archives of the Aube department, building his reputation as a careful scholar of history, documents, and medieval institutions.

After retiring from archival work, he became the first holder of the chair of Celtic language and literature at the Collège de France in 1882. He was among the early French scholars to study ancient Irish literature with close philological attention, helping establish Celtic studies as a serious academic field in France.

He was also elected to the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres in 1884. Beyond Celtic studies, he is remembered for influential work on French place names and the history of landholding, showing how broad and curious his scholarship remained throughout his life. He died in Paris on February 26, 1910.