CHARLES FORBES DE TRIOS, Count (1810-70). A French historian and publicist. Ile was born in London, May 29, 1510, of an ancient noble family, his father, who had been driven out by the Revolution, having entered the English service. His mother was of the Scottish family of Forbes. to which circumstance may be as cribed Montalembert's knowledge of, and strong admiration for, English social and in stitutions. He began his studies at Fulham, near London, and finally, after sonic time spent in Stockholm with his father, who was Ambassa dor to Sweden, completed them in Paris. At twenty. already an ardent champion of Catholi cism and of popular freedom, he joined Lamen nais (q.v.) on the staff of the .1 renir, and co with him in the establishment of free schools. He accompanied Lamennais on his un happy journey to Rome, and then to Munich, and remained in close sympathy with his views, even after his master had gone further away from orthodoxy in Paroles (fun eroyant (1834). At the end of that year. however, he broke with Lamennais and definitely submitted to the l'apal decisions. He still maintained his ardent desire to demonstrate the close relations of his faith and popular liberty, and took great delight in the study of media•cal history, the first fruit of which was his Ilistoire de Sainte Elisabeth d'llongrie (1836). Three years later appeared a collection of his studies in medieval art. which be vigoronsly exalted over corrupt modern stand ards under the title Da randalisme et du ratho lirisnre. In 1535. having now attained the re (mired age. he took his seat in the House of Peers, where, young as he Ile stood out at once as a champion of religion. After the ReV0 t inn of 1848 he was elected a member of the Constituent Assembly, and took his seat on the Right. though acting occasionally with the Left. He had a litTi•iVe influence in bringing about French intervention in Italy and the restoration of Pius IX. to Rome. Ile wills elected to the
Legislative Assembly also. and for it time Mil t riVed, while he continued the same line of policy as regarded I 'hureh interest'', to give a genera I support to the Government of Louis Napoleon. leis tirst break with that th)VVI'11111VIlt was on the quest ion Of t he proposed confiscat ion of the Or leans property. and after the coup d'ittat of De cember 2, 1851. the breach been MC irreconcilable. From that time he continued to be the implacable assailant of the arbitrary repression of public opini (((( which eharneterized the measures of Na poleon 111. Failing of reelection in 1857. he de voted himself thenceforth to literature. in which his eminence had been recognized by election to the Academy in 1851. Devoted son of the Church as he was, he clung to his early passion for free dom of thought, and took a pronounced position in favor of the view that the Papal syllabus of 1864 and the declaration of infallibility were both inopportune. Ile died March 13, 1870. Besides a large number of articles. he left many books of great interest, of which the following have been translated into English: Catholic Interests 'in the Nineteenth Century (1852) ; The Politi cal Future of England (1856): Constitutional Liberty (1858): Pius IX. and France itt and 1859 (1861) : Pius 1X. and Lord Palmer ston (1S63) ; Memoir of the .1 bbd Imeordaire (1863). Of these and other works it collected edition in French appeared in eight volumes (Paris, 1860-68). But to English readers he is best known by his brilliant series of his torical studies, Les moines ornerident I5th ed. 1874-77), translated as The Monks of the West, from ;taint Benedie? to S'aint Bernard (new ed. by Gasquet, London, 1893). Consult his Life by Mrs. Oliphant (London. 1872), and by de Meaux (Paris, 1897) ; also Lecannet, ilantaIembert d'upr,'s scs pa piers ct sa carrespondance (ib., 1893-1901).