BURNOUF, Émile-Louis. Valognes (Manche) 25/26.8.1821 — Paris 1.7. or 15/16.1.1907. French Indologist and Classical scholar. Son of bailiff Charles Burnouf (1787–1859) and Aimée Felicity Lévêque, cousin of —> Eugène Burnouf (1801–1852). After Lycée Saint-Louis studied from 1841 at École normale supérieure, then sent to École d’Athènes. Ph.D. 1850. From 1854…
BRÉAL, Michel-Jules-Alfred (born Michael Bréal). Landau (Pfalz) 26.3.1832 — Paris 25.11.1915. French IE scholar. Professor in Paris. Son of Auguste Bréal (1789–1839), a French-Jewish lawyer, and Caroline Worms (1803–1876). Educated in Wissembourg, Metz and Paris (Lycée Louis-le-Grand), then 1852-55 at École normale supérieure. Teacher in Strasbourg (1855) and Paris (Louis-le-Grand,…
BRACHET, Benjamin, as the author of a Vedic work (Prières antèhistoriques. Œuvres de Koutsa et Hirayastoupa. P. 1870) is sometimes called, seems to be mistaken. See under —> Benjamin GACHET.
BOYER, Augustin-M. Vannes (Morbihar, Brittany) 20.11.1850 — 2.1.1938. Abbé, S.J. French Indologist and Epigraphist, a Catholic Priest. Educated at the Collège diocésain de Nantes, at the age of 20 a Jesuit novice, first in Angers, then in Saint-Acheul. In addition to philosophy and theology studied mathematics with success. In 1884…
BOULNOIS, Jean Raymond Paul. Berville-en-Caux, Normandy 19.3.1904 — Philippeville (now Skikda), Algeria 1956. French Physician interested in India. Son of Paul Boulnois (1868–1949) and Louise Léonie Ehrer (1872–1962), both teachers. Dr.Med. 1928 Bordeaux. First served as colonial physician in Côte d’Ivoire, in 1932-35 at French settlements in Tamilnadu and Bengal,…
BORÉ, Eugène. Angers (Maine-et-Loire) 15.8.1809 — Paris 3.5.1878. French Orientalist, especially Armenian Scholar. Son of a lawyer who died in 1812, in 1828 also lost his mother. Educated in Angers and Paris (Collège Stanislas), then studied languages: Arabic, Turkish, Armenian, Persian, Hebrew, Syriac and in 1833 Sanskrit. In 1833-34 Professor…
BOISSEROLLE-BOISVILLIERS, Aurèle-Jean de (Baron A.-J. de Boisserolle, chevalier de Boisvilliers). Paris 3.9.1764 — Sumène (Gard) 1.2.1829. French General, apparently interested in Sanskrit. Son of a civil servant, Count François-Xavier de Boisserolle (1713–1793), and Elisabeth Law de Lauriston, joined the army in 1782. 1782-83 served as a sous-lieutenant, then gardes du…
BOCHINGER, Jean-Jacques (Johann Jacob B.). Strasbourg 28.11.1802 — Strasbourg 12.8.1831. French (Alsatian) Protestant Theologian. Of humble origin, son of Jean Bochinger (1758–1807), a weaver, and Christine Madeleine Lutz (1778–1833). Studies at Protestant Seminary and Theological Faculty of Strasbourg, then at Heidelberg and Göttingen. For a while, 1824-26, private tutor in…
BLOCHET, Gabriel Joseph Edgard. Bourges (Cher) 12.12.1870 — Paris 5.9.1937. French Oriental (Arabic and Iranian) Scholar and Historian of Religions. Son of a cavalry officer. After studies in Paris, i.al. ancient Iranian under Darmesteter at É.P.H.É. and Arabic (diploma), Persian, Turkish and Urdu at É.L.O.V., from 1895 Assistant, then Librarian…
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 Southern Alsace. After Lycée Charlemagne, studied in Paris (Fac. des lettres, etc.) under Lévi and Meillet (also Gauthiot, Foucher…