Antoine Varillas (1624 – 9 June 1696)[1] was a French historian, best known for his history of heresy.

Life

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He was born in Guéret and made a troubled way as a man of letters in Paris. He worked as a historian for Gaston, Duke of Orléans. Through an introduction from Pierre Dupuy, he was able to have library access, leading to work on manuscripts for Jean-Baptiste Colbert. Colbert, however, was dissatisfied with his work and replaced him. Varillas enjoyed support from Pierre Huet but became a marginal figure.[2]

Works

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His writings attracted a great deal of interest amongst his contemporaries; serious if partisan criticisms of the historical method of his earlier work led to his losing his reputation as a scholar. His works included:

  • Histoire de l'heresie de Viclef, Iean Hus, et Jerome de Prague: avec celle des guerres de Bohéme qui en ont esté les suites;
  • Histoire de Louis Onze; and
  • Histoire des révolutions arrivées dans l'Europe.

Notes

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  1. ^ Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. C. Knight. 1843. p. 144.
  2. ^ (in French)http://www.histoire-gueret.fr/index.php?2007/11/03/143-antoine-varillas-1624-1696