MOHL, Jules (Julius von Mohl). Stuttgart 25.10.1800 — Paris 4/5.1.1876. French (German-born) Oriental Scholar in Paris. French citizen 1838. Professor of Persian at Collège de France. Son of a high civil servant in Württemberg, Benjamin Ferdinand von Mohl and Louisa Friederica Autenrieth, his brothers were Robert (1799–1875, scholar of law and politician) and Hugo (1805–1872, a botanist). After gymnasium in Stuttgart he started to study Lutheran theology at Tübingen, but was soon attracted by Oriental studies. From 1823 studied in Paris Arabic, Persian and Chinese (Silvestre de Sacy and Abel-Remusat). From 1826 Professor of Hebrew or Oriental Languages at Tübingen, but was allowed to continue his studies in Paris and finallywas forced to abandon the post in 1835. In 1830-31 in England. In 1831 selected by French government for translating the Shah-name of Firdausi. A.I.B.L. 1844. From 1847 Professor of Persian at Collège de France, from 1852 also Inspector of Oriental Department of Imperial Press. Assistant-Secretary, then Secretary and finally President to the Société asiatique. Married 1847 Mary Clarke (1793–1888), British author, feminist and friend of Florence Nightingale.
While he was mainly a scholar of Persian and more generally of Islamic literature and history, Mohl was also keenly interested in the progress of such fields as Indology, Sinology and Assyriology. He was a close friend of Burnouf.
Publications: With J. Olshausen: Fragments relatifs à la religion de Zoroastre. 9+34 p. Paris 1829; many further works and articles.
– Confucii Chi-king sive liber carminum, ex latina P. Lacharmi interpretatione. 22+322+16 p. Stuttgart 1830; Y-King, Antiquissimus Sinarum liber, ex interpretatione P. Regis. 1-2. Stuttgart 1834–39.
– Ed. & transl. the Shah-name of Firdausi. 1-6. P. 1838-68, unfinished 7. published posthumously by Barbier de Meynard.
– Edited E. Burnouf’s posthumous “Recherches sur la Géographie Ancienne de Ceylan”, JA 5:9, 1857, 1-116.
– Annual Reports of Société asiatique published in the JA in 1840-67 and then as a book in 2 vols., Vingt-sept ans d’histoire des études orientales (Paris 1879, edited by his widow), also containing full discussions of the development of Indology.
Sources: JRAS Proc. 1876, x-xiii; Buckland, Dictionary; C. Chaqueri, D.O.L.F. 687-689; *Max Müller, Essays. 2nd ed. Chips 2. 1895, 272-312; *v. Prantl, SBaAW 1876, 209-211; *C.G.A. Siegfried, A.D.B. 22, 1885, 57-59; Windisch; Wikipedia with drawing (another in French version).
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