Jean-Baptiste Capefigue

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Jean-Baptiste Honoré Raymond Capefigue (1801 – December 1872) was a French historian and biographer. He was born in Marseille and moved to Paris at twenty to study law, but soon switched to journalism. He became editor of the Quotidienne and later worked with several papers, including Temps, Messager des Chambres, and Revolution de 1848. During the Bourbon era he held a post in the foreign office because some of his articles supported royalist ideas. His only English-translated work is Diplomatists of Europe.

Capefigue’s writings show strong legitimist politics. He believed in the divine right of kings and non-resistance. He wrote biographies of many famous queens, such as Catherine de’ Medici, Marie de Medici, Anne of Austria, Maria Theresa, Catherine II of Russia, Elizabeth I of England, as well as Diana of Poitiers and Agnès Sorel. He enjoyed writing about powerful royal women, sometimes in favorable and sometimes in critical lights. His historical works cover Jews from the time of the Maccabees to his own era, the early centuries of Christianity, European diplomatists, and the whole history of France.

He died in Paris. Capefigue published a great number of works—about 77 titles totaling around 145 volumes over forty years. Notable books include Histoire de Philipp-Auguste (4 vols., 1829) and Histoire de la réforme, de la ligue et du règne de Henri IV (8 vols., 1834–1835). He was known to be rapid in writing, and while he had access to many sources, his accuracy and judgment can be doubtful. Nevertheless, he was often cited by the Scottish historian Sir Archibald Alison in his History of Europe During the French Revolution.