Henri Pirenne: Historian and Man of the World

Henri Pirenne (1862-1935) is generally recognised as one of the most influential European historians of the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century. The combination of his scholarly activity with the social mission that he set himself earned him an extraordinarily successful career and a double reputation: at least in Belgium, he was regarded not only as a ‘father of history’, but also as great citizen. Although his influence was unmistakably large, there is no consensus about the existence or the nature of a ‘Pirennian persona’. He combined the ideal collection of skills, values and stan... Mehr ...