Auguste Longnon

Auguste Honoré Longnon (18 October 1844 – 12 July 1911) was a French historian and archivist. He is remembered for his research in the field of historical geography and for his edition of the 15th century poet, Francois Villon.

Biography Longnon was born on 18 October 1844, in Paris. Up to age 20, Longnon worked as a shoemaker for his father. From 1868, he studied at the École pratique des Hautes Études in Paris, and at the same time, worked at the National Archives as an assistant to Alfred Maury. Later on, he received a promotion as sous-chef at the Archives, and eventually became a director of studies at the École pratique des Hautes Études. From 1892 to 1911, he held the chair of historical geography at the Collège de France. In 1886, he was chosen as a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. He died on 12 July 1911, in Paris.

Published works In the 1880s, Longnon published an atlas of French history, "Atlas historique de la France depuis César jusqu'à nos jours", that is considered to constitute the actual beginning of French historical atlases.