Ranke,Leopoldvon(1795–1886)

Abstract

Leopold von Ranke (1795–1886) was a nineteenth‐century German historian and one of the founding fathers of the modern, professional study of history. His extensive use of diplomatic sources and belief in the primacy of foreign policy established him as one of the most important figures in the development of diplomatic history as a field. Ranke saw states as the prime movers of historical change, and believed that the systematic and critical study of diplomatic sources offered a privileged window into the state activities that should serve as the central objects of historical study. His own voluminous writings, as well as his pedagogical innovations in training generations of young historians during his long career at the University of Berlin (1824–71) to center their studies on state documents housed in state archives, contributed significantly to ensuring diplomatic history a central place in the developing historical profession.