Paul-Louis Courier was born in Paris, but grew up largely in rural Touraine. His father Jean-Paul Courier worked at one time for the duc d’Olonne, with whom he quarrelled so seriously that the duc tried to have him murdered. Some suspect that Paul-Louis’s real mother was the duchesse d’Olonne. However, he himself seemed to accept readily that his mother was Louise-Élisabeth Laborde, whom Jean-Paul married five years after Paul-Louis’s birth. Since his father wished him to be an army officer Courier studied mathematics, but his real enthusiasm was for Latin and Greek. He entered the artillery as a second lieutenant in June 1793, and served chiefly in Italy (1798-1809). There he devoted much time to academic libraries and ancient monuments, but he also fought against irregulars in…
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Citation: Morrison, Ian. "Paul-Louis Courier". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 October 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12853, accessed 31 October 2024.]