CHARLEVOIX, Pierre-François-Xavier. - French Jesuit, historian of the missions, b. at St. Quentin on 24 Oct. 1682, entered the novitiate on 15 Sept. 1698. Before his ordination, he had taught grammar for four years at the college of Quebec (1705-1709). In the years 1720-23, he made, by order of the regent, a study trip through the French possessions in America, visiting the valleys of the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi and the island of Santo Domingo. He then spent the greater part of his life in Paris, as scriptor at the Louis-le-Grand college. He died at La Flèche on 10 Feb. 1761.
Charlevoix occupies one of the most important places in the historiography of the missions. His *Histoire de l'établissement, du progrès et de la décadence du christianisme dans l'empire du Japon* (3 vols., Rouen 1715) is still a youthful work, which he later completely reworked: *Histoire et description générale du Japon* (3 vols., Paris 1736; enlarged ed. 1754, 6 vols.; many reprints, more or less modified, in the 1800s). This was followed by the *Vie de mère Marie de l'Incarnation* (ibid. 1724; Ital. trans., Lucca 1727) and *Histoire de l'Isle espagnole de St-Domingue* (2 vols., Paris 1730-31). In the January 1735 issue of the *Mémoires de Trévoux* (pp. 160-72), Charlevoix outlined an extensive plan for composing a body of history of the New World. He began its execution with his *Histoire et description générale de la Nouvelle France* (3 vols., Paris 1744); the 3rd vol. contains the *Journal historique d'un voyage fait par l'ordre du roi dans l'Amérique septentrionale*. Finally came the *Histoire du Paraguay* (3 vols., 1756). A Latin translation with notes and corrections was made by Fr. Domenico Muriel, last provincial of Paraguay, exiled in Italy: *Historia Paraguaiensis* (Venice 1799). It was later translated into Spanish, with Muriel’s notes, by Fr. P. Hernández: *Historia del Paraguay* (6 vols., Madrid 1910-17; another volume was written by Muriel as a continuation).
Charlevoix’s histories are substantial works, written with extensive documentation and broad vision. Although surpassed in many respects by modern research, these works still retain great value. One must, however, guard against the author’s tendency to idealize his portrayals: it has been noted, for example, the influence of the ideology of the “noble savage” on his conception. Charlevoix was deservedly called “the Herodotus of the Jesuit missions.”