BLOCH, Jules. Paris 1.5.1880 — Sèvres (Seine-et-Oise) 29.11.1953. French Indologist and Linguist. Professor in Paris. Son of a Jewish merchant, Salomon Bloch and Caroline Bernheimer, a modest unreligious family originating in Alsace. After Lycée Charlemagne, studied in Paris (Fac. des lettres, etc.) under Lévi and Meillet (also Gauthiot, Foucher and…
BIOT, Jean Baptiste. Paris 21.4.1774 — Paris 3.2.1862. French Historian of Science, especially Astronomy. Son of a treasury official, Joseph Biot, joined the army in 1792, but sent to home because of failing health in 1794. Graduated as an engineer and taught Mathematics from 1797 in Beauvais, from 1799 at…
BIGANDET, Paul-Ambroise. Malans (Doubs) 13.8.1813 — Rangoon 19.4.1894. French Catholic Missionary and Buddhist Scholar. Fifty years in Burma. Educated in Besançon and at the seminary of Missions Etrangères in Paris (two years there). In 1837 ordained as priest and sent as missionary to Malacca, later moved to Burma. From 1852…
BERTRAND, François-Marie, l’abbé. Fontainebleau (Seine-et-Marne) 26.10. 1807 — Versailles 30.1.1881. French Indologist (Hindi scholar) and Catholic priest. Studies at Seminaire St.Sulpice in Versailles. Served long time as minister in Herblay, 1837-56, then canon in Versailles. His opinions were heavily criticized by the conservatives, and he was generally wary of letting…
BERTHELOT, Pierre-Eugène-Marcellin. Paris 25.10.1827 — Paris 18.3.1907. French Chemist, famous for his work on Organic Chemistry. Also a Scholar of the History of Chemistry and Alchemy. Son of a physician, Jacques-Martin Berthelot (1799–1864), educated at Lycée Henri IV (classsmate of Renan). Studies in Paris, dr. ès sciences 1854. From 1859…
BERNIER, François. Joué-Étiau (Maine-et-Loire) 26.9.1620 — Dauphine (or Paris?) 22.9.1688. French Physician and Traveller in India. Spent twelve years (1656-68) in India, and was eight years physician at the Mughal court. Son of Pierre Bernier, one of the foremost tenants of the chapter of Angers, and Andrée Grimault. He lost…
BERGMANN, Frédéric-Guillaume (Friedrich Wilhelm). Strasbourg 9.2.1812 — Strasbourg 13.11.1887. French (Alsatian) Linguist and Philologist. Professor in Strasbourg. Son of Anton Josef Bergmann (1776–1839), a pewter caster, and Christiane Sophie Roessel. Studies of theology at Strasbourg, of philology (especially Nordic) at Paris, Göttingen and Berlin. Dr.-ès-Lettres 1839. From 1838 in charge…
BERGAIGNE, Abel-Henri-Joseph. Vimy (Pas-de-Calais) 31.8.1838 — La Grave (Hautes Alpes) 6.8.1888. French Indologist. Professor in Paris. Son of a registrar, Sylvain Bergaigne (1795–1855), and Joséphine Césarine Aubron, educated in Amiens. He abandoned the financial career planned by his father and went in 1864 to Paris in order to study IE…
BENVENISTE, Émile (born Ezra B.). Aleppo, Syria 25.2. or 27.4.1902 — Versailles 3.10.1976. French Iranian scholar and Linguist. Professor in Paris, naturalized as Frenchman in 1924. Son of Mathieu (Mathatias) Benveniste, of a well known Sephardim family of Turkey (originally of Spain), and Marie Malkenson, both teachers. Educated privately, in…
BÉNISTI (Monié-Bénisti, also Bénisti-Monié, née Sarfati), Mireille. Algier 10.10.1909 — 11.12. 1993. French Art Historian (Buddhist and Khmer Art). Born in Algeria came early to Paris. Suffered of ill health, but in November 1943 she joined the Comité Français de la Liberation Nationale in Algier, and worked after the war…