Charles Samaran

Charles Samaran
Born 28 October 1879
Cravencères (Gers)
Died 15 October 1982(1982-10-15) (aged 102)
Nogaro (Gers)
Occupation Historian
Archivist

Charles Samaran (28 October 1879 – 15 October 1982) was a 20th-century French historian and archivist.

Biography

Graduated an archivist-palaeographer in 1901 with a thesis devoted to the Maison d'Armagnac[1] then a member of the École française de Rome (1901–1903), Charles Samaran was first an archivist at the Archives nationales.[2] In 1908 he published Les diplômes originaux des Mérovingiens, "Stunt of a young palaeographer which would remain until his old age an infallible decipher of difficult texts",[3] a collection which played a key role in the study of Merovingian scriptures.

Critical literary studies and editions of texts from all periods (dispatches from Milanese ambassadors under Louis XI, Casanova's memoirs) followed, which would continue throughout his teaching (John Chartier, Thomas Basin, The Song of Roland in the literary field, acts of University of Paris in the pragmatic field).

He was appointed research director at the École pratique des hautes études in 1927 (chair of palaeography) then professor of "bibliography and archives of the history of France"[4] at the École Nationale des Chartes from 1933 to 1941 and director of the Bibliothèque de l'Ecole des chartes from 1935 to 1948[5]

He was elected at the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres in 1941 and appointed general director of the Service interministériel des Archives de France by minister Jérôme Carcopino the same year. He remained in that position until 1948, maintained beyond the retirement age.[6] He was president of the Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques from 1960 to 1982.

Co founder of the International Committee for palaeography in 1953, initiator of the dated manuscripts catalog[7] co founder of the International Council on Archives,[8] a prolific author of a bibliography of several hundred numbers and active until his hundredth anniversary, Charles Samaran was a major figure in twentieth scholarship, both by his personal and institutional role than by his scientific output.

Charles Samaran was the step-son of flautist Paul Taffanel, creator of the French school of flute. He had three daughters: Annette (Philippe Thiollier'swife), Charlotte (wife of Jacques Lacome Estalenx) and Jeanne. His wife died in 1962 at age 80.

Iconography

A medal bearing the likeness of Charles Samaran at the age of seventy-six was executed by Aleth Guzman-Nageotte in 1955. A copy is kept in the Carnavalet Museum (ND 5153).

Bibliography

(partial list)

Sources

His personal papers are kept at the Archives nationales under the symbol 642AP[9]

References

  1. ↑ Base des thèses de l'École des chartes.
  2. ↑ Jean Favier, [Obituary] Charles Samaran, Bibliothèque de l'Ecole des chartes, 141/2 (1983), p. 414.
  3. ↑ Jean Favier, « [Nécrologie] Charles Samaran », Bibliothèque de l'Ecole des chartes, 141/2 (1983), p. 415.
  4. ↑ A. Charon, La chaire de bibliographie et histoire du livre in Yves-Marie Bercé, O. Guyotjeannin, M. Smith (éd.), L'Ecole nationale des chartes. Histoire de l'Ecole depuis 1821, Thionville, 1997, p. 82.
  5. ↑ Jean Favier, « [Nécrologie] Charles Samaran », Bibliothèque de l'Ecole des chartes, 141/2 (1983), p. 419.
  6. ↑ Jean Favier, « [Nécrologie] Charles Samaran », Bibliothèque de l'Ecole des chartes, 141/2 (1983), p. 421.
  7. ↑ C. Samaran, « Le Comité international de Paléographie. Réalisations et projets », Journal des savants, 1962/1, p. 75-94 Read online.
  8. ↑ R.-H. Bautier, « Le Conseil international des archives et le premier congrès international des archives », Bibliothèque de l'école des chartes, 109 (1951), p. 108-110. Read onlne.
  9. ↑ Notice du fonds conservé aux Archives nationales
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