Gilles Filleau des Billettes

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Gilles Filleau des Billettes (1634 - 15 August 1720) was a scholar, member of the Académie des Sciences who corresponded with Leibniz. His personal copy of one of Leibniz's mathematical papers was rediscovered in 1956.

French Academy of Sciences learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research

The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at the forefront of scientific developments in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, and is one of the earliest Academies of Sciences.

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz German mathematician and philosopher

Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz was a prominent German polymath and philosopher in the history of mathematics and the history of philosophy. His most notable accomplishment was conceiving the ideas of differential and integral calculus, independently of Isaac Newton's contemporaneous developments. Mathematical works have always favored Leibniz's notation as the conventional expression of calculus, while Newton's notation became unused. It was only in the 20th century that Leibniz's law of continuity and transcendental law of homogeneity found mathematical implementation. He became one of the most prolific inventors in the field of mechanical calculators. While working on adding automatic multiplication and division to Pascal's calculator, he was the first to describe a pinwheel calculator in 1685 and invented the Leibniz wheel, used in the arithmometer, the first mass-produced mechanical calculator. He also refined the binary number system, which is the foundation of all digital computers.

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Biography

Gilles was born at Poitiers in 1634 into a Calvinist family, the youngest son of Nicolas Filleau des Billettes and his wife, Françoise Béliard, who was described by Louis Moréri as being from one of the most noble houses in the region. He moved with his brothers to Paris, where he lived most of his life. He formed part of the Bignon Commission which worked towards the establishment of the Descriptions of the Arts and Trades .

Poitiers Prefecture and commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and also of the Poitou. Poitiers is a major university centre. The centre of town is picturesque and its streets include predominantly historical architecture, especially religious architecture and especially from the Romanesque period. Two major battles took place near the city: in 732, the Battle of Poitiers, in which the Franks commanded by Charles Martel halted the expansion of the Umayyad Caliphate, and in 1356, the Battle of Poitiers, a key victory for the English forces during the Hundred Years' War. This battle's consequences partly provoked the Jacquerie.

Calvinism Protestant branch of Christianity

Calvinism is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calvin and other Reformation-era theologians.

Louis Moréri French priest and scholar

Louis Moréri was a French priest and encyclopedist.

He married twice, but the name of only one wife is known: Françoise Sicard, who died on 24 April 1671 in Poitiers.

His brother, François Filleau de St Martin, was famous for making the first French translation of Don Quixote.

<i>Don Quixote</i> 1605 novel by Miguel de Cervantes

The Ingenious Gentleman Sir Quixote of La Mancha, or just Don Quixote, is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, Don Quixote is the most influential work of literature from the Spanish Golden Age and the entire Spanish literary canon. As a founding work of modern Western literature, it regularly appears high on lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published, such as the Bokklubben World Library collection that cites Don Quixote as the authors' choice for the "best literary work ever written".

Gilles had one more brother, Jean Filleau de la Chaise, and sisters Françoise (who married Jean de la Lande, "seigneur de Lavau" [1] ), Marie, and possibly Catherine (who married John Chabusant).

Sources

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References

  1. ↑ "Nobiliaire universel de France ou recueil général des généalogies historiques des maisons nobles de ce royaume", Nicolas Viton de Saint-Allais, 1817, vol/tome 10 p 392
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