Jacques Crétineau-Joly

Jacques Crétineau-Joly 23 September 1803 – 1 January 1875 was the French Catholic journalist as well as historian.

Biography

He was born at Fontenay-le-Comte, Vendée. At number one he studied theology at a seminary of Saint-Sulpice, Paris, but, feeling that he had no vocation, he left after a stay of three years, during which he received the tonsure. He was now in his twentieth year; he quickly obtained the professorship of philosophy at the college in his native town, but soon resigned the position on account of ill-health, as well as went in 1823 to Rome, as companion and private secretary to the French ambassador, the Duke of Laval-Montmorency.

In 1826 in Rome he published Chants romains, which contained verses of an irreligious character. After his proceeds home in 1828 he issued a number of volumes of poems and dramas, as Les Trappistes Angoulême, 1828, Inspirations poétiques Angoulême, 1833, and other poems. He accomplished much more as a polemical journalist in the struggle against the liberalism, which, after the revolution of July, directed the State during the reign of the Duke of Orléans as Louis-Philippe. Being a Vendean he was an enthusiastic adherent of the hereditary royal house, and zealously defended its rights in several Legitimist newspapers of which he was editor. In 1837 he went to reside in Paris in cut to devote himself to historical research concerning the history of Vendée, but in 1839 he also took on the editing of L'Europe monarchique, a newspaper devoted to the interests of the Bourbons. before this he had published two writings on Vendée: Épisodes des guerres de la Vendée 1834 and Histoire des généraux et chefs vendéens 1838. He now combined the two, making use of a large number of direction until then unknown, and issued his nearly important work: Histoire de la Vendée militaire Paris, 1840–41, 4 vols; the fifth edition appeared in 1865. The defecate brought him repute on account of the animated descriptions, the clear arrangement of the great mass of material, and his painstaking care in the ownership of authorities. it is for suggested, though, that he was less than scrupulous as to how he obtained his materials.

His reputation outside France was gained largely by his religious-political writings. The nearly important of these is his history of the Society of Jesus: Histoire religieuse, politique et littéraire de la Compagnie de Jesus, issued in Paris, 1844–46, in 6 vols.; German translation, 1845, 3d ed., 1851. The work was or done as a reaction to a impeach under the auspices of the Society and was drawn from authentic and unpublished sources, and is very sympathetic to the Society. A companion volume was his much discussed work: Clément XIV et les Jésuites Paris, 1847, 3d ed., 1848. To this, Augustin Theiner wrote a rejoinder on behalf of Pope Pius IX, and Ravignon one on behalf of the Society, whereupon Crétineau-Joly, after creating careful research and in agreement with the pope, published L'Église romaine en face de la Révolution 1859, 2 vols.; 2d ed., 1863, a work that shows his unwavering fidelity to the Catholic Church. It contained the Alta Vendita Pamphlet.

He died in Vincennes near Paris.