Felix Rousseau

Felix Rousseau (Salzinnes the January 14th 1887 - idem the September 7th 1981) is a Belgian Historien of French expression and Militant Wallon.

He was pupil with the College of the Jésuites of Namur, then with the Facultés of Namur and finally with the Université of Liege where he obtained in 1909 the title of doctor. After he worked during 34 years with the general Archives of the Kingdom to Brussels (1912-1946), was part-time lecturer to UCL, then professor in ULg.

He is the father of the Walloon Historiographie. He highlighted the size of civilization mosane and the Art mosan before the 13th century. The first Histoire of scientific Wallonia of level (directed by Léopold Génicot) is dedicated to him. He was not opposed fontalement to Henri Pirenne which had a vision more unitaore of the history of Belgium, but he was satisfied to supplement it on completely important spoints. PIrenne indeed which devoted (by distinguishing it from the remainder), an important place with the history of the Principauté of Liege has, on the other hand completely been unaware of art mosan, phenomenon which however typically raises of the new history that the large historian of Verviers contributed to found, a new history which stresses what Braudel calls the events of long life like the facts of civilization, the large economic currents, geopolitics etc By definition art mosan concerns the new history and this phenomenon undoubtedly constitutes the brighter fact ple past of the various Belgian areas. Besides recent research highlights the fact that contrairepment so that Felix Rousseau wrote, the Country mosan continued to live a true prosperity in all connections, well beyond XIIe century which appeared in Rousseau like the century of its decline.

He collaborated in the Walloon Earth of Elie Baussart. He founded the resistance movement “catholic Wallonia” which became after the war “Walloon Rénovation”. He was member of the Standing Committee of the Walloon National congress, of the cultural section of the Center Harmel (1948-1958).

Like catholic, it struck the Namurian opinion of this sensitivity by signing the famous Walloon Pétitionnement, whose Christian mediums were wary, considering that it was about an initiative " socialiste" or " laïque".

The Encyclopédie of the Walloon Movement devotes an important note with volume 3 to him, pp. 1443-1445.

Felix Rousseau was selected like one of the Hundred Walloons of the century, by the Institut Jules Destrée, in 1995.

External bonds

Biography of Felix Rousseau on the site of the Institute Destrée

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