Fernand Grenard

Who is Fernand Grenard?

Fernand Grenard was a French explorer and author. He took part in the French government-sponsored expedition led by Jules-Léon Dutreuil de Rhins in 1891 to Eastern Turkestan which sought to visit Lhasa, which at that time foreigners were not allowed to visit.

In 1893, Dutreuil de Rhins and Grenard, left Xinjiang in order to cross Tibet and reach Xining in Qinghai. In December, they reached Lake Namtso, the men and animals exhausted and their supplies run out after a journey that had taken them three months longer than anticipated. The authorities refused them permission to enter Lhasa and ordered them to turn back, in spite of the bitter cold and lack of supplies.

The following summer, Dutreuil de Rhins was wounded in a skirmish with a group of Golok bandits in lawless country near Tom-Boumdo. Grenard tried to save him but in the end was forced to leave him to his death. All the expedition's papers were stolen but eventually Grenard persuaded the Chinese authorities to take action against the criminals and the papers were recovered.

Grenard published a report on the expedition under the title "Mission scientifique dans la Haute-Asie". He went on to write various books about the history of Central Asia, including lives of Genghis Khan and the Mughal ruler Babur/Baber.