Rimbaud was born in Dole in the department of Jura, the son of Didier Rimbaud (19 April 1786 in Dijon - 16 November 1878 in Dole), a tailor and merchant, and Catherine Taillandier (19 May 1786 - 30 November 1838). Not much can be attested for certain about his upbringing and formative years.

A Burgundian of Provençal extraction, he was a captain