The networks and the reputation of an ambitious Republican of Letters: Jacques de Pérard (Paris, 1713-Stettin, 1766)

Pierre-Yves Beaurepaire

Born in Paris in 1713, Jacques de Pérard (1713-1766) experienced exile like many Huguenot refugees at the age of nine. After graduation, he was appointed pastor of the Calvinist French churches established in the kingdom of Prussia, but he was also determined to climb up the ladder of scholarly and social recognition among his peers, and to develop strong and friendly links with the inner circle of the Republic of Letters. Pérard was conscious of how intense and sometimes excessive his investment in networking was. Thanks to his correspondence and his erudite journeys, Pérard’s ideas and desire for achievement travelled across Europe when he was not himself on his way. Exploring and editing his correspondence provides the opportunity to reassemble the Republic of Letters in the age of Enlightenment.