Godefroid Kurth (1847–1916) was a celebrated

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

and pioneering Christian democrat. He is known for his histories of the city of

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far fro ...

in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

and of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, his

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

account of the formation of modern

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

in ''Les Origines de la civilisation moderne'', and his defence of the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometim ...

system.Paul Gérin, "Kurth, Godefroid", '' Nouvelle Biographie Nationale''
vol. 8
(Brussels, 2005), 212–219.

Life

;Early life Godefroid Kurth was born on 11 May 1847 in

Arlon Arlon (; lb, Arel ; nl, Aarlen ; german: Arel ; wa, Årlon; la, Orolaunum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in and capital of the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium. With a population of just over 28,000, it is th ...

, the capital of the Belgian

province of Luxembourg Luxembourg (french: Luxembourg ; nl, Luxemburg ; german: Luxemburg ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; wa, Lussimbork), also called Belgian Luxembourg, is the southernmost province of Wallonia and of Belgium. It borders on the country of Luxembourg to the e ...

. His father, a former soldier from

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

who was naturalised as a Belgian in 1842, became a police commissioner in Arlon, but died 1850. The family spoke Luxembourgish at home and he learned French in primary school. He was educated at the Athénée royal d'Arlon and the Liège

Normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

, where he completed his studies in 1869.Henri Pirenne
Notice sur Godefroid Kurth
''Annuaire de l'Académie royale belge'', 1924, pp. 192–261. That same year he was appointed French master at the Athénée royal de Liège.Godefroid Kurth
''Cent Wallons du siècle '' (A Hundred Walloons of the Century), Institut Jules Destrée, 1995. Accessed 21 June 2017. ;Academic career Buste de Godefroid Kurth

In 1873 Kurth became the first person to be awarded the "special doctorate in historical sciences", for a dissertation on

Cato the Elder Marcus Porcius Cato (; 234–149 BC), also known as Cato the Censor ( la, Censorius), the Elder and the Wise, was a Roman soldier, senator, and historian known for his conservatism and opposition to Hellenization. He was the first to write hi ...

. The same year, he became chair of Medieval History and Belgian History at the

University of Liège The University of Liège (french: Université de Liège), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French. As of 2020, ULiège is ranked in the ...

. One of his students,

Henri Pirenne Henri Pirenne (; 23 December 1862 – 24 October 1935) was a Belgian historian. A medievalist of Walloon descent, he wrote a multivolume history of Belgium in French and became a prominent public intellectual. Pirenne made a lasting contribut ...

, became a noted historian. Léon-Ernest Halkin considered them the founders of the scientific method of history in Belgium. Kurth modelled his pedagogy on that instituted by the German historian

Leopold von Ranke Leopold von Ranke (; 21 December 1795 – 23 May 1886) was a German historian and a founder of modern source-based history. He was able to implement the seminar teaching method in his classroom and focused on archival research and the analysis ...

at the University of Berlin. On 7 May 1894 he was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium. He was a member of the committee that organised the Exposition de l'art ancien au Pays de Liège for the 1905 International exposition in Liège. In 1906 Kurth was promoted to emeritus status and left the university to take up the position of director of the Belgian Historical Institute in Rome. In 1908 a

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the ...

was published in his honour, ''Mélanges Godefriod Kurth'' (Université de Liège, 1908).Available online
through the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

. Accessed 24 June 2017. Halkin said of him, "Godefroid Kurth asthe last of the romantic historians and the first of the 'technical' historians in Belgium".Quoted in Jean-Louis Kupper
Godefroid Kurth and Henri Pirenne: An improbable friendship
'' Journal of Belgian History'', 41:3–4 (2011), pp. 411–426. ;Political and social thought In Liège, Kurth encountered difficulties because of his strongly held Catholic views, which were considered

ultramontane Ultramontanism is a clerical political conception within the Catholic Church that places strong emphasis on the prerogatives and powers of the Pope. It contrasts with Gallicanism, the belief that popular civil authority—often represented by th ...

by his contemporaries. He was an active member of the

Society of Saint Vincent de Paul The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP or SVdP or SSVP) is an international voluntary organization in the Catholic Church, founded in 1833 for the sanctification of its members by personal service of the poor. Innumerable Catholic parishes have ...

. In 1873 he was elected president of the ''Cercle catholique de l'Est'', one of the predecessor bodies to the Catholic Party, which Kurth played a role in founding. He was also a pioneer of

Christian democracy Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

, helping organise the Social Congresses held in Liège in 1886, 1887 and 1890 that gave shape to

Catholic social teaching Catholic social teaching, commonly abbreviated CST, is an area of Catholic doctrine concerning matters of human dignity and the common good in society. The ideas address oppression, the role of the state, subsidiarity, social organizatio ...

. His study of the medieval guild system brought an increased appreciation of the principles of charity. brotherhood and justice. Published in 1886, ''Les Origines de la civilisation moderne'' brought him an international reputation but was controversial in drawing a direct connection between the "civilizing principle" of Christianity and the development of modern civilization. ;Death Kurth, who had strong links with the German Centre Party and with German colleagues, was repulsed by the German invasion of Belgium and the accompanying atrocities. Over the summer and autumn of 1915 he gathered testimony of the atrocities, including the killings at

Aarschot Aarschot () is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Aarschot proper and the towns of Gelrode, Langdorp and Rillaar. On January 1, 2019, Aarschot had a total pop ...

, but was placed in detention by the Germans in an unheated location. He contracted pneumonia, and died at

Asse Asse () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It comprises the towns of Asse proper, Bekkerzeel, Kobbegem, Mollem, Relegem and Zellik. Asse is also situated in the Pajottenland. As of 2020, Asse had a total ...

on 4 January 1916. He was provisionally buried in Asse, and later exhumed and reburied in Arlon. There are streets named after him in both Arlon, Asse and Liège. His work on the atrocities was published posthumously as ''Le Guet-apens prussien en Belgique'' ("The Prussian Ambush in Belgium"). Cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier wrote in the preface that Kurth, whose family origins were German, was "overwhelmed by the invasion, its iniquity, its atrocities, its sham".

Honours and awards

* Prix quinquennal des Sciences historiques (1891) * Commander in the

Order of St Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of ...

(1906) * Commander in the Order of Leopold (1907) *

Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

of the

Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (french: Université de Louvain, link=no; nl, Universiteit Leuven, link=no) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of L ...

(1912)

Works

Godefroid Kurth wrote over 500 books and journal articles, including contributions to the ''

Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

''. His "style is consciously literary, lively, and flamboyant; ...However, Kurth's version of history is also notably technical; it is founded on rigorous principles of historical criticism, extensive mastery of philology and profound knowledge of the sources and other works." His ''Clovis'' (1895), ''Notger de Liège'' (1905), and ''La cité de Liège au Moyen-âge'' (1909–1910) remain indispensable reference works. ;Books * ''Caton l'ancien, étude biographique'' (Bruges, Daveluy, 1872)
online
* ''Analectes pour servir à l’histoire d’Arlon'' (Arlon, Institut archéologique du Luxembourg, 1880) * ''Les origines de la ville de Liège'' (Liège, L. Grandmont-Danders, 1883) * ''Les Origines de la civilisation moderne'' (Louvain, Ch. Peeters, 1886)
online
* ''Histoire poétique des Mérovingiens'' (Brussels, Société belge de librairie, 1893)
online
* ''La Frontière linguistique en Belgique et dans le nord de la France'' (Brussels, Société belge de librairie, 1896) * ''Das deutsche Belgien und der Deutsche Verein'' (Arlon and Aubel, Willems, 1896) * ''Clovis, le fondateur'' (Paris, Éditions Tallandier, 1896; reprinted 2000, ) ** ''Clovis'' (Tours, Alfred Mame et Fils, 1906)
online
* ''L'Église aux tournants de l'histoire'' (Brussels, Société belge de librairie, 1900) * ''Saint Boniface'' (Paris, Lecoffre, 1902)
online
* ''Notger de Liège et la civilisation au Xe siècle'' (Paris, Brussels and Liège, A. Picard, O. Schepens, and L. Demarteau, 1905)
online
* ''La Cité de Liège au Moyen-Âge'' (3 vols., Liège, Dewit, Cormaux et Demarteau, 1909–1910)
vol. 1vol. 2vol. 3
* ''Etude critique sur Jean d'Outremeuse'' (Mémoires de l'Académie royale de Belgique, Classe des Lettres et des Sciences Morales et Politiques, 7; Brussels, 1910)
online
* ''Histoire des croix miraculeuses d’Assche'' (Asse, Imprimerie Frans Van Achter, 1912) * ''Mizraim, souvenirs d'Égypte'' (Albert Dewit, 1912)
online
* ''La Nationalité belge'' (Namur, Picard-Balon, 1913)
online
* ''Études franques'' (2 vols., Paris and Brussels, Honoré Champion and Albert Dewitte, 1919)
vol. 1vol. 2
* ''Le Guet-apens prussien en Belgique'' (Paris, H. Champion, 1919) * ''La chronique de Jean de Hocsem'' (Brussels, Kiessling, 1927)
online
;Articles, lectures and pamphlets * "Notice sur un manuscrit d'Hariger et d'Anselme, conservé à l'abbaye d'Averbode", ''

Bulletin de la Commission royale d'Histoire The Commission royale d'Histoire (in French) or Koninklijke Commissie voor Geschiedenis (in Dutch) is the Belgian Royal Historical Commission. It was founded by royal decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (suc ...

'', 4th series, vol. 2 (1875), pp. 377–394
online
* "Saint Grégoire de Tours et les études classiques au VIe siècle", ''Revue des questions historiques'', 24 (1878), pp. 586–593
online
* "La Loi de Beaumont en Belgique", ''Mémoires couronnés et autres mémoires'', 31 (1881), pp. 769–790
online
* "Une biographie de l'évêque Notger au XIIe siècle", ''Bulletin de la Commission royale d'Histoire'', 4th series, vol. 17 (1891), pp. 3–6
online
* ''La lèpre en Occident avant les Croisades'' (Paris, Alphonse Picard, 1891), a lecture delivered to the Congrès scientifique international des catholiques, held in Paris, April, 1891
online
* ''Les Corporations ouvrières au moyen-âge'' (Brussels, Société belge de librairie, 1893) * ''Qu’est-ce que le moyen âge?'' lecture to the Congrès international des catholiques in Fribourg, 19 August 1897
online
* "Les Nationalités en Auvergne au VIe siècle", ''Bulletins de l'Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique'', 4 (1900), pp. 224–242
online
* "Les Ducs et les comtes d'Auvergne au VIe siècle", ''Revue d'Auvergne'', September 1900 * "Comment Philippe II travaillait", in ''Mélanges Paul Frédéricq : hommage de la société pour le progrès des études philologiques et historiques'' (Brussels, H. Lamertin, 1904), pp. 289–293
online
contribution to the

for Paul Fredericq. * "Les origines de la Commune de Liège", ''Bulletin de l'institut archéologique liégeois'', 35 (1905), pp. 229–32
online
* "Ce que demandent les Allemands", '' Le Vingtième Siècle'', 1906 * "Recherche sur l'origine des paroisses de Liège", ''Bulletin de la Société d'art et d'histoire du diocèse de Liège'', 16 (1907), pp. 227–251
online
* "Notre nom national", ''Bulletin de la Commission Royale d'Histoire'', 78 (1909), pp. CII-CXXII
online
* Preface to Marie de Villermont, ''L'Infante Isabelle: Gouvernante des Pays-Bas'' (Tamines and Paris, 1912
online
* "L'édit de Milan (313)", ''Revue sociale catholique'', 17 (1912), pp. 65–73
online
* "Etude critique sur la vie de Sainte Geneviève", '' Revue d'Histoire Ecclésiastique 14 (1913), pp. 5–80
online

References

External links

(in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kurth, Godefroid 1847 births 1916 deaths People from Arlon Walloon people Belgian medievalists Belgian people of German descent Historians of Belgium University of Liège faculty University of Liège alumni