Étienne Hubert

Étienne Hubert d'Orléans (Stephanus Hubertus; 1567 – 20 June 1614) was a French medical doctor, Orientalist and diplomat.

Biography Born in Orléans, he studied medicine there and in Paris (gaining his Bachelor on 21 April 1596) and became interested in Arabic in order to read medical texts written in that language. In 1598, Henry IV sent him to Marrakesh to the Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur to replace Arnoult de Lisle, who had been recalled to Paris.

Hubert was a court medical doctor for Moroccan ruler Ahmad al-Mansur in Marrakesh from 1598 to 1600. He was succeeded in the teaching position by Gabriel Sionita, who was active from 1614 to 1648. Savary de Brèves judged rather negatively of his skills as an Arabist, but he was admired by Thomas Erpenius. and Abudacnus, an Egyptian Copt from Cairo who gave lessons in Arabic to European linguists.