Charles Pierre Henri Rieu
Background
Charles Pierre Henri Rieu was born on June 8, 1820 in Geneva, Switzerland. His mother was Marie Lasserre.
Education
He studied at Bonn University, where he received his doctor's degree in 1843.
Career
After a
visit to Paris, where he was elected a member of the Societe Asiatique
on November 8, 1844, he removed to St. Petersburg, and there in
conjunction with Otto Boehtlingk he edited with German notes the text of
'Hemakandra's Abhidhanakintamani' or Sanskrit dictionary (St.
Petersburg, 1847). While engaged on this work he visited Oxford for the
purpose of transcribing the unique manuscript in the Bodleian library.
In
1847 Rieu settled in London, and thanks to his eminent qualifications
as an Arabic and Sanskrit scholar he secured the post of assistant at
the British Museum in the department of Oriental manuscripts. Henceforth
he was engaged on the important task of cataloguing the museum
collections. In 1867 he became first holder of the office of keeper of
Oriental manuscripts, and in 1871 he completed the second part of the
'Catalogus codicum manuscriptorum orientalium, ' of which the first
portion had been published by William Cureton in 1846. Besides Arabic
and Sanskrit, Rieu had an extensive knowledge of Persian and Turkish. At
the British Museum he drew up the 'Catalogue of Persian Manuscripts' (4
vols. 1879-95) and the 'Catalogue of Turkish Manuscripts' (1888). These
voliimes constitute an invaluable storehouse of information concerning
Mohammedan literary history, and show a high degree of critical
scholarship.
In 1894, despite his advanced age, he was elected Adams professor of Arabic in the University of Cambridge in succession to William Robertson Smith. Of a gentle and retiring disposition, he resigned his post at the British Museum in 1895.
Achievements
-
He was Professor of Arabic in London and Cambridge.
Works
book
-
Supplement to the Catalogue of the Persian Manuscripts in the British Museum
( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)
-
Supplement to the Catalogue of the Persian Manuscripts in the British Museum
Membership
He was a member of the Societe Asiatique.
Connections
He married in 1871 Agnes, daughter of Julius Heinrich Nisgen, by whom he had issue five sons and two daughters.
- Mother:
- Marie Lasserre
- Spouse:
- Agnes
