Alfred Albert Martineau

Alfred Albert Martineau (18 December 1859 in Artins – 25 January 1945 in Varennes) was a notable historian and colonial administrator in the French Colonial Empire.

He wrote extensively on colonial affairs and the history of French colonial expansion, in particular a six-volume Histoire des colonies françaises et de l'expansion française dans le monde (1930–1934) co-authored with former French Foreign Minister Gabriel Hanotaux. Upon retirement from colonial service in 1921 he taught colonial history at the Collège de France until 1935.

He was a founding member of the Société de l'histoire de l'Inde française, the (1912) and the Académie des sciences coloniales (1922).

Early life Martineau was born on 18 December 1859 in Artins, which was then part of the Second French Empire. He graduated from the École Nationale des Chartes, where he trained as an archivist-paleographer.

Political career In 1888 he joined the executive committee of the far-right nationalist Ligue des Patriotes. He was soon elected as a Member of Parliament of the French Parliament for Paris's 19th arrondissement in October 1889.

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