Paul de Rapin
The son of Jacques de Rapin, an avocat at Castres (Tarn); his mother Jeanne was the sister of Paul Pellisson, official historian to Louis XIV.
Inclined to a military career, but unable to find work, he went on to the Dutch Republic where he enlisted in a company of French army cadets at Utrecht, commanded by his cousin, Daniel de Rapin.
[4] Rapin accompanied his father William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, a diplomat, at the Peace of Ryswick (1697), perhaps also to Paris in the year after; in a very costly entourage.
In April 1699 Paul de Rapin married the widow Marie-Anne Testart (1676–1749) in a tiny village called Sloterdijk outside Amsterdam.
With the financial participation of the Dutch, the largest fortress in Brandenburg-Prussia at the time was built over the next 40 years – as a barricade against the expansionist ambitions of Louis XIV.
In 1706 his wife received a considerable amount of money and jewelry; Rapin was involved as executor of the will of his sister-in-law, the wealthy Henriette Testart.
It was at Wesel that he began his great work: Histoire d'Angleterre (History of England), an impartial account written for foreigners rather than for Englishmen.
L'Histoire d'Angleterre was published monthly with illustrations and allegorical end pieces designed and engraved by François Morellon la Cave, and with a dedicatory epistle to King George I.
He added large numbers of informative notes throughout the volumes, which were illustrated with engravings, maps and genealogical tables of great quality.
[17] Tindal also added a "Continuation" to the History, covering the years from the accession of James VI and I to that of George I of Great Britain.
As no-one takes more interest than Your Majesty in the glory of England, I have hoped that He would look with a favourable eye upon the feeble efforts which I have made to execute this design.
I am content, SIRE, to have furnished for my Readers a ready means by which to compare the Reign of Your Majesty with the preceding Reigns, and the opportunity to observe, how attentive Your Majesty is to follow in the tracks of the Kings of England which were most distinguished by their virtues, and by their sincere love for their People – and with what care He distances himself from the false paths in which some have unfortunately gone astray.
It was in his description of the reign of King Stephen of England that de Rapin made perhaps his most enduring contribution to English history: he was the first historian to describe the reign as an "anarchy": "In the fatal anarchy, the barons acting as sovereigns grievously oppressed the people and were so presumptuous as to coin their own money.
