J.H. Merle D’aubigné

Jean-Henri Merle d'Aubigné was born in Geneva to a family of French Protestant refugees. Although his parents wanted him to pursue a career in commerce, he chose to study Christian ministry at the Académie de Genève, where he was greatly influenced by the Scottish missionary Robert Haldane. After studying in Berlin, he became a pastor in Hamburg and later in Brussels, where he served as preacher to the court of King William I of the Netherlands. During the Belgian revolution, he returned to Switzerland and became a professor of church history at a theological seminary. Merle d'Aubigné is best known for his Histoire de la Reformation, a scholarly work that earned him a place among modern French ecclesiastical historians. He was also a dedicated promoter of evangelical Protestantism and a frequent visitor to England. His scholarly pursuits led him to visit the major libraries of Central and Western Europe to read original documents in Latin, French, German, Dutch, and English. In addition to his major work, he also authored minor treatises, including a vindication of Oliver Cromwell and a sketch of the trendings of the Church of Scotland.