Frise chronologique

Publication of De Re Diplomatica by Jean Mabillon

The École des Chartes is traditionally regarded as a legacy of the Maurist Benedictine monks of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Paris abbey where Jean Mabillon (1632-1707) developed his De re diplomatica. This vast practical and theoretical work sets out the rules of the historical criticism of charters. Marc Bloch regarded the year of its publication as ‘a great milestone in the history of the human mind’.

The Founding Ordinance

The Revolution's dramatic impact on the documentation inherited from the Ancien Régime, with the creation of conservation institutions such as the Archives nationales and the Archives départementales, highlighted the need to pass on the scholarly disciplines cultivated in the past. Established by the royal decree of 22 February 1821 and housed in the Bibliothèque Royale, the new School harked back to medieval charters but was also in keeping with a regime governed by the Constitutional Charter of 4 June 1814, considered the guarantor of freedoms.

Creation of the ‘Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques’ (Committee for historical and scientific research)

François Guizot, Minister of Public Education since October 1832, organised historical science to encourage research and the publication of sources on French history. On 18 July 1834, he founded the ‘Comité de l'histoire de France’ (Committee for French history), which would become the ‘Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques’ in 1881. The school's teachers and former students, sometimes called ‘Guizotins’, were active members from the outset.

The Second Birth of the École

An ordinance of 31 December 1846 established the École's modern structure: multidisciplinary teaching that highlighted the diversity of historical sources, its director, premises, and library, and the requirement for students to submit a ‘public paper on their chosen theme’ to obtain their diploma. This was the origin of the thesis, for which an abstract was then published in Positionsdes thèses

Involvement in the Dreyfus Affair

The Dreyfus Affair, that broke out in 1894, was an opportunity for chartists to use their science to serve a cause beyond scholarly circles. Émile Zola enlisted the help of the École’s director, Paul Meyer, and professors, Arthur Giry and Auguste Molinier, to contribute their palaeographical expertise to exonerate Captain Dreyfus. Another professor, Paul Viollet, played an active role in creating the Ligue des Droits de l'Homme (Human Rights League) in 1898 and co-drafted its articles of association.

The Toll of the Great War

307 archivists, palaeographers and students of the École were mobilised during the First World War. 51 of them were killed in action, a rate (16%) in keeping with the national average. The demographic effects of the bloodletting affected the youngest promotions and were severely felt two or three decades later.

Technical Internship

In response to a long-standing request from students and the profession, the French Archives Department introduced an end-of-studies technical course to prepare graduates for the practical aspects of the archival profession. In 1951, this course became the ‘stage technique international d'archives’ (international archival technical internship), which brought young palaeographers into contact with their future colleagues from various backgrounds. Since 1963, future librarians have received professional training at the École nationale supérieure de Bibliothécaires (which became ENSSIB in 1992).

Annexation of the Urfist

The Unité régionale de formation à l'information scientifique et technique de Paris (Paris Regional Scientific and Technical Information Training Unit) was created in 1986 and attached to the École des chartes. Similarly to its six counterparts across the country, Urfist’s range of training and support services has gradually expanded to include mastery of IT tools, internet research, scientific publication, and digital content production.

Doctorate

Although the École des Chartes thesis was described in 1904 as a ‘doctorate in French history’, the École des Chartes would not be granted doctoral status until 2010, currently co-accredited with Sorbonne-Université and the École pratique des hautes études. By 2023, more than 40 doctoral students had joined the Centre Jean-Mabillon, the École’s research laboratory.

Member of the Université Paris Sciences et Lettres

The École nationale des chartes became a member of the Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, created in 2010, alongside other prestigious institutions and organisations such as the École normale supérieure, the École pratique des hautes études and the Collège de France.

Creation of the Fondation de l’École nationale des chartes

In 2024, the École launched its Foundation under the auspices of PSL. The aim is to support the institution's international expansion through public and private sponsorship and multi-partner funding of research projects in the fields of history, heritage, and artificial intelligence applied to these areas.