Bon Louis Henri Martin, a French historian, born in St. Quentin, Feb. 20, 1810. He was educated at the college of St. Quentin. Wolf-thurm, a romance, written in conjunction with Felix Davin, appeared in 1830, and was followed by a series of historical novels illustrating the period of the Fronde. In 1833 he began the publication of Bistoire de France par les principaux Mstoriens, a work intended to embrace extracts, chronologically arranged, from the principal chroniclers and historians. One by one the contributors dropped off, until Martin was left to conduct the publication alone. Tiring of this occupation, he determined to substitute an original history, of which the first edition, under the title of His-toire de France, appeared in 1833-'0 (15 vols. 8vo). Scarcely was the last volume issued from the press when he commenced a revision of the whole work on a more comprehensive plan, which occupied him 17 years, during which a second edition of the original work was also published. Of the 19 volumes of the second work, which appeared at irregular intervals, the 10th and 11th, devoted to "Religious Wars," received the first Gobert prize of the academy of inscriptions, and the 14th, 15th, and 16th, relating to the reign of Louis XIV., the second Gobert prize from the French academy, and after the death of Augustin Thierry, the first.

After the completion of the second revision Martin published a third and more elaborate one, embracing the most recent discoveries in Celtic antiquities, and in ancient and mediaeval history, religion, langui and literature (17 vols., 1855-60), a portion of which was translated into English by .Mary L. Booth ("History of France: Age of Louis XIV.," 2 vols., Boston, 1865). In 1867 Martin issued an illustrated edition (4to) of his history. In 1869 the institute awarded it the biennial prize of 20,000 francs. He has also published Daniel Manin (Paris, 1859), L'Unite italienne et la France (1861), Jean Reynaud (1863), Pologne et Moscovie (1863), Vercingetorix, a historical drama (1865), and La Russie d'Europe (1866). In 1848 M. Martin occupied the chair of modern history at the Sorbonne.