Charles Auguste Marie Joseph, Count of Forbin-Janson
French aristocrat and Catholic prelate
Charles-Auguste-Marie-Joseph, Count of Forbin-Janson, C.P.M. (3 November 1785 – 12 July 1844), was a French aristocrat and prelate who was a founder of the Fathers of Mercy, established in an effort to re-evangelize the French people. He preached throughout North America, taking an active role in reviving the Catholic populations of the United States and Canada. He was influential in establishing an ultramontane stand in the Catholic Church in French-speaking Canada, an influence which would last for generations.
Forbin-Janson also served as the Bishop of Nancy and Toul, and later was the founder of the Association of the Holy Childhood, which worked to support the Catholic Church in its work on the expanding frontiers of North America.
Life
Early life
Born in Paris, he was the second son of Count Michel-Palamède de Forbin-Janson and of his wife, Cornélie-Henriette-Sophie-Louise-Hortense-Gabrielle, Princess of Galéan. He was a Knight of Malta from childhood. During the French Revolution, his family took refuge in Bavaria, which was his home until he returned to France in 1800, having been trained for a military career. Though he was to remain an ardent monarchist throughout his life, he accepted the appointment which Napoleon Bonaparte gave him as an Auditor of the Council of State in 1805. His family and the aristocracy looked forward to a most brilliant career as a statesman for him, but at the same time he joined the Congregation of the Holy Virgin (French: Congrégation de la Sainte-Vierge), a religious association of the laity organized in Paris in 1801, which had grown out of the Jesuit-affiliated Sodality of Our Lady after the Suppression of the Society of Jesus.
In the spring of 1808 Forbin-Janson surprised all by entering the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice.
The public source identifies “Charles Auguste Marie Joseph, Count of Forbin-Janson” as french aristocrat and Catholic prelate. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Charles, Auguste and Marie.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Charles Auguste Marie Joseph, Count of Forbin-Janson”, the useful work is to connect “french aristocrat and Catholic prelate” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2960575. VIAF identifies the subject as 72173502. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1785, 1844, 1800 and 1805.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Charles Auguste Marie Joseph, Count of Forbin-Janson”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Charles Auguste Marie Joseph, Count of Forbin-Janson primary sources, Charles Auguste Marie Joseph, Count of Forbin-Janson archive and Charles research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Charles Auguste Marie Joseph, Count of Forbin-Janson”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Charles Auguste Marie Joseph, Count of Forbin-Janson” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.