Some biographies speak more eloquently than others. Poincaré's is a perfect example. If the historian André Bellivier is to be believed, "his true life shines through in the exuberance of his youth".
Henri Poincaré in 1865.
In 1867, having just visited the Exposition universelle, 13-year-old Henri came up with the idea of establishing a three-part system of government in the large garden at Arrancy (Aisne), where he spent his holidays: a kind of federation he called Trinasie.
Trinasie was a kind of "New Atlantis": a social and political model, a utopia made real. Poincaré drafted its constitution, allocated the ministerial posts and even invented distinct languages for the three kingdoms, which he shared with his sister and cousin, his playmates. Political questions lay at the heart of young Henri's thinking. The search for the best form of government was one of the central concerns of this topsy-turvy world.
The Arrancay estate became the embodiment of this fictional kingdom, with the house and garden divided into equal territories. For the young Poincaré, this imaginary construct was a fruitful experiment that allowed him to appreciate fully the exercise of power and the conflicts of interest that make it possible.
But Trinasie also became a creative playground. Poincaré wrote comedies there for family galas. He even wrote a verse drama about Joan of Arc. From an early age, he showed a particular interest in the French language and the humanities.
In a sense, Trinasie foreshadowed Poincaré's intellectual identity, his wide-ranging sensibility and his future political commitments.
