GLADWIN, Francis. 1744/45? — 1812. British Colonial Officer and Orientalist (Persian Scholar) in India. Served in the Bengal Army at least 30 years, until his death. He was encouraged by Warren Hastings in his study of Oriental languages, mainly worked on Persian literature. From 1801 he was the first Professor…
GILDEMEISTER, Johannes Gustav. Klein-Piemen (now Kröpelin), Mecklenburg 20.7.1812 — Bonn 11.3.1890. German Indologist and Orientalist. Professor in Marburg and Bonn. Born in Mecklenburg countryside in a Bremenian patrician family, son of Johann G. (1784–1844), merchant and journalist, and Maria Anne Catharine Wienholt. Gymnasium in Bremen. Said to have studied Hebrew…
GILCHRIST, John Borthwick (born John Hay G.). Edinburgh 19.6.1759 — Paris 9.1.1841. British (Scottish) Indologist, a Pioneer of Hindi-Urdu Studies. Son of merchant Walter G. and Henrietta Farquharson, lost his father at the age of one. After school in Edinburgh studies of medicine at George Heriot’s Hospital, Edinburgh. Joined the…
GENTIL, Jean Baptiste Joseph. Bagnols (Rhône) 25.6.1726 — Bagnols-sur-Cèze (Rhône) 15.2.1799. French Officer in India. Born in a noble family, joined the army and went out to India in 1752 as officer in an infantry regiment. “Served with distinction under Dupleix, Law of Lauriston, Lally, etc. After the collapse of…
GEIGER, Wilhelm Ludwig. Nürnberg 21.7.1856 — Neubiberg near Munich 2.9. 1943. German Iranian Scholar and Indologist. Professor in Erlangen and Munich. Husband of —> M. Geiger. Son of Johannes Leonhard G. (1820–1894), a Lutheran minister, and Emma Paur (1832–1918). Studied classical philology and Oriental languages at Berlin, Bonn and Erlangen…
GARCIN DE TASSY, Joseph-Héliodore-Sagesse-Vertu. Marseille 20.1.1794 — Paris 2.9.1878. French Indologist (Hindi-Urdu) and Oriental Scholar. Professor in Paris. Son of Joseph Jacques Garcin, a stockbroker, and Claire Virginie Tassy. Educated in Marseille, where he also learned spoken Arabic. From 1817 studies of law in Paris, at the same time Persian…
FREJMAN, Aleksandr Arnol’dovič. Warsaw 10.(22.)8.1879 — Leningrad 19.1.1968. Russian Iranist, specialist in Middle Iranian. Professor in Leningrad. Son of an official. After gymnasium in Warsaw in 1889-99, studies of Indo-Iranian and Armenian at Oriental Faculty (under Salemann, Žukovskij, Ol’denburg, Ščerbackoj and Marr) and of linguistics (under Bulič and Baudouin de…
FRASER, James. 1713 — Easter Moniack, Inverness-shire 21.1.1754. British (Scottish) Factor in India, Historian and Manuscript Collector. Son of Alexander F. (d. 1733) of Reelick near Inverness. Residing in Surat in 1730-40 he is said to have learned Sanskrit and Avestan (at least he knew Persian). Back in England started…
FRANK, Othmar (born Johann Georg Frank). Bamberg 8.5.1770 — Vienna 16.9.1840. German Pioneer of Indology. Professor in Munich. Son of Konrad Frank, a master tailor, and Maria-Anna Köberlein. After school he entered the Benedictine monastery of Banz near Bamberg (now taking the new name Othmar Frank), and was ordained there…
FRANCKLIN, William. 1763 — 12.4.1839. British Colonial Officer and Historian in India. Son of Thomas Fr. (1721–1784), an academic clergyman, and his wife, née Venables. Educated at Westminster and Trinity College, Cambridge. Cadet 1782, joined the E.I.C.’s Bengal Native Infantry in 1783. In 1786 travelled in Iran, resided 8 months…