Paul Riant

Paul Edouard Didier Riant (7 August 1836, Paris – 17 December 1888, Château La Vorpillière in Massongex) was a French historian and scientific editor specializing in the Crusades.

[1] He exercised a great activity of scientific editor of primary sources related to the Crusades and the Latin States of the East.

In 1865, he earned his doctorate in philosophy at La Sorbonne, presenting a thesis Expeditions and pilgrimages of the Scandinavians to the Holy Land during the Crusades.

[4] On 8 March 1864, his well-regarded thesis led to Riant being conferred by pope Pius IX the title of Roman Count (comes Romanus).

[3] In 1875, Riant founded the Société de l'Orient Latin devoted to the discovery and publication of documents relating to the Crusades.

For example, he was the author of a preface for the French translation of the 1883 edition of Heinrich Hagenmeyer's book on Pierre l'Ermite (Peter the Hermit).