Valentine Chirol

Sir Ignatius Valentine Chirol (1852 - 1929) was a journalist, prolific author, historian and British diplomat. He began as correspondent and editor of the London Times traveling across the globe writing about international events. After spending almost two decades writing for the Times, he joined the British Foreign Ministry as a diplomat.

After two decades as a journalist, he joined His Majesty's Foreign Ministry as a diplomat and subsequently was knighted for his distinguished service as a foreign affairs advisor.

In addition, he wrote a dozen books on foreign affairs including The Far Eastern Question (1896), Serbia and the Serbs (1914), The End of the Ottoman Empire (1920) and The Egyptian Problem (1921). He is generally credited with popularizing "Middle East" in reference to the Arabian Peninsula with his book The Middle Eastern Question (1903).