Paul-Louis Courier

Ian Morrison (Independent Scholar - Europe)
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Paul-Louis Courier was born in Paris, but seems to have grown up largely in the country. His father, Jean-Paul Courier, worked at one time for the duc d’Olonne, with whom he quarreled so badly that the duke tried to have him murdered. Some suspect that Paul-Louis’s real mother was the duchesse d’Olonne. However, he himself seemed to accept readily that his mother was Louise-Elisabeth Laborde, whom Jean-Paul married five years after Paul-Louis’s birth. Since his father wished him to be an army officer, Courier studied mathematics, but his real enthusiasm was for Latin and Greek. He entered the artillery as a second lieutenant in June 1793. He served chiefly in Italy (1798-1809), where he devoted much time to academic libraries and ancient monuments, but also fought against…

2046 words

Citation: Morrison, Ian. "Paul-Louis Courier". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 October 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12853, accessed 19 March 2024.]

12853 Paul-Louis Courier 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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