Baptisin Poujoulat Open this page in a new tab

Baptistin Poujoulat (1798–1864) was a French historian, journalist, and political writer best known for his collaborations with the orientalist Joseph-François Michaud and his contributions to the historiography of the Crusades. Born in Montélimar, Drôme, Poujoulat studied law but turned to writing early in life, cultivating a strong interest in religion, politics, and history.

Poujoulat is most recognized for co-authoring with Michaud the Histoire des Croisades (History of the Crusades), a widely read 19th-century narrative synthesis of Crusader history that drew on both medieval European chronicles and early modern orientalist sources. In the 1830s, the two traveled to the Levant (modern-day Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel/Palestine, and Egypt) to gather materials and observe sites firsthand. Their journey was published in a series of letters and reports, later compiled as Correspondance d’Orient, which combined travel writing with political and religious commentary.

Poujoulat held ultra-royalist and Catholic conservative views, and his historical work often reflected a monarchist and clericalist ideology, typical of the post-Napoleonic French Restoration. His style was rhetorical and moralizing, favoring heroic portrayals of Christian figures and framing the Crusades as noble religious endeavors.

Aside from his work on the Crusades, Poujoulat also wrote extensively on French history, including works on the French Revolution and early modern France. He contributed regularly to royalist newspapers and engaged in polemics against liberal and secular thinkers of his time.

Although not a primary source author, Poujoulat played a significant role in popularizing medieval history for a 19th-century French audience. His work is now considered of limited critical value by modern historians due to its ideological slant and uncritical use of sources, but it remains of interest for understanding the reception of Crusader history in the 19th century.