Skip to the content
VALÉORINE London
AuthorDeveloped article

Jean-Nicolas Bouilly

Jean-Nicolas Bouilly (24 January 1763 – 14 April 1842) was a French playwright, librettist, children's writer, and politician of the French Revolution. He is best known for writing a libretto, supposedly based on a true story, about a woman who disguises herself as a man to rescue her husband from prison, which formed the basis of Beethoven's opera Fidelio as well as a number of other operas.

Also recorded as Jean Nicolas Bouilly

In this articleReferencesBrowse the field

Jean-Nicolas Bouilly

French writer and playwright Jean-Nicolas Bouilly (1763-1842)

Louis Janet · This file comes from Gallica Digital Library and is available under the digital ID btv1b8415961p/f1 · Public domain

Born
24 January 1763
Birthplace
Joué-lès-Tours
Died
14 April 1842
Place of death
Paris
Occupation
Playwright Librettist Writer
Nationality
France
Education
collège royal de Tours · Old University of Orléans
Honours
Knight of the Legion of Honour
Languages
French

VALÉORINE Encyclopedia

VALÉORINE documentary reading

Documentary summary

Jean-Nicolas Bouilly (24 January 1763 – 14 April 1842) was a French playwright, librettist, children's writer, and politician of the French Revolution. He is best known for writing a libretto, supposedly based on a true story, about a woman who disguises herself as a man to rescue her husband from prison, which formed the basis of Beethoven's opera Fidelio as well as a number of other operas.

Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE

Note VALÉORINE

No house-authored Note is published until its assertions and sources pass the VALÉORINE evidence contract. The documentary article remains available in full while that enrichment is being consolidated.

Documentary enrichment in progress · no unsupported statement published

Reference Check

Propose documentary evidence for Jean-Nicolas Bouilly. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.

Sign in to contribute

World of VALÉORINE

Documentary connections

Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.

Documentary evidence

Evidence Panel

not yet certified

Identity
resolved
Independent source families
0
Admitted assertions
0
Open conflicts
0

Authority files

wikidata · Q1355203 · wikipedia · Jean-Nicolas Bouilly

In this article

  1. 01Biography
  2. 02Notes, references and evidence

The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.

Elsewhere in Books

38,960 published records in this field, each with its sources named.

Best supported in this field

Read the complete books index

For owners

Own a work by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly?

A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.

Request a valuationHow selling works