Louis de Beaufort (6 October 1703 – 11 August 1795) was a French-Dutch historian best known for his critical approach to the history of Rome. His brother was Daniel Cornelius de Beaufort (1700-1788).
Born in The Hague to a French family of Huguenots, he lived in Utrecht and Leiden and worked as a personal tutor to the Prince of Hesse-Hombourg while at Leiden University (1739-42).[1] In 1738 he published at Utrecht the Dissertation sur l'incertitude des cinq prèmiers siècles de l'histoire romaine (A Dissertation Upon the Uncertainty of the First Five Centuries of Roman History), in which he questioned the value of even the classical sources of the highest repute, such as Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus, for writing the history of the origins of ancient Rome, and pointed out by what methods and by the aid of what documents a truly scientific basis might be given to its history. While this was not an unprecedented argument, Beaufort made his case particularly forcefully and pushed against the traditional and less critical approaches adopted by esteemed historians of the time such as Charles Rollin. A German, Christopher Saxius, endeavoured to refute Beaufort's argument in a series of articles published in vols. i.-iii. of the Miscellanea Liviensia. Beaufort replied by some brief and ironic Remarques in the appendix to the second edition of his Dissertation (1750).
He also wrote an Histoire de Cesar Germanicus (Leiden, 1761), and La République romaine, ou plan general de l'ancien gouvernement de Rome (The Hague, 1766, 2 vols quarto).
Though not a scholar of the first rank, Beaufort has at least the merit of having been a pioneer in raising the question, afterwards elaborated by Niebuhr, as to the credibility of early Roman history and the importance of source criticism.
Referencesedit
^ ab"EHESS — Bibliotheca Academica Translationum : Louis, de Beaufort". bat.ehess.fr. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
^"Library and Archive Catalogue". Royal Society. Retrieved 11 December 2010.[permanent dead link]
louis, beaufort, october, 1703, august, 1795, french, dutch, historian, best, known, critical, approach, history, rome, brother, daniel, cornelius, beaufort, 1700, 1788, born, hague, french, family, huguenots, lived, utrecht, leiden, worked, personal, tutor, p. Louis de Beaufort 6 October 1703 11 August 1795 was a French Dutch historian best known for his critical approach to the history of Rome His brother was Daniel Cornelius de Beaufort 1700 1788 Born in The Hague to a French family of Huguenots he lived in Utrecht and Leiden and worked as a personal tutor to the Prince of Hesse Hombourg while at Leiden University 1739 42 1 In 1738 he published at Utrecht the Dissertation sur l incertitude des cinq premiers siecles de l histoire romaine A Dissertation Upon the Uncertainty of the First Five Centuries of Roman History in which he questioned the value of even the classical sources of the highest repute such as Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus for writing the history of the origins of ancient Rome and pointed out by what methods and by the aid of what documents a truly scientific basis might be given to its history While this was not an unprecedented argument Beaufort made his case particularly forcefully and pushed against the traditional and less critical approaches adopted by esteemed historians of the time such as Charles Rollin A German Christopher Saxius endeavoured to refute Beaufort s argument in a series of articles published in vols i iii of the Miscellanea Liviensia Beaufort replied by some brief and ironic Remarques in the appendix to the second edition of his Dissertation 1750 He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in October 1746 and would move to Maastricht where he died in 1795 1 2 He also wrote an Histoire de Cesar Germanicus Leiden 1761 and La Republique romaine ou plan general de l ancien gouvernement de Rome The Hague 1766 2 vols quarto Though not a scholar of the first rank Beaufort has at least the merit of having been a pioneer in raising the question afterwards elaborated by Niebuhr as to the credibility of early Roman history and the importance of source criticism References edit a b EHESS Bibliotheca Academica Translationum Louis de Beaufort bat ehess fr Retrieved 2019 09 14 Library and Archive Catalogue Royal Society Retrieved 11 December 2010 permanent dead link nbsp This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Beaufort Louis de Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th ed Cambridge University Press Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Louis de Beaufort amp oldid 1107130448, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
