R. B. Merriman
Roger Bigelow Merriman (24 May 1876 – 7 September 1945) was an American historian and an practitioner of scientific historiography developed by German historians.[1] He was a biographer of Thomas Cromwell, which he considered "as apprentice work."[2][3] His four-volume work The Rise of the Spanish Empire (1918-1934) is recognized as a pioneering work in the field of Latin American history. Its main thesis is that "the Spanish Empire, unlike its British rival, was the natural continuation of Spain's medieval history."[4]
He was an undergraduate at Harvard, entering in 1892. After earning his A.B., and M.A. at Harvard, he studied history at Oxford University. Following his 1902 publication on Cromwell, he was hired by Harvard, where he taught a course on the Spanish Empire, the impetus for his research and voluminous publication on the topic.[5]
One assessment of his work was that "Merriman will always be a historian's historian," and his work never found public favor. "In the long run, one feels, the reputation of Roger Merriman is secure in the hands of his fellow historians."[6]
Works
- The Life and Letters of Thomas Cromwell (London, 1902).
- The Rise of the Spanish Empire (4 vols., 1918–34)
- Suleiman the Magnificent 1520-1566 (Cambridge, Mass., 1944).
References
- ^ Garrett Mattingly, "The Historian of the Spanish Empire", in Latin American History: Essays on its Study and Teaching, section III, "Pioneers, 1900-1918", vol. 1, p. 99. reprinted from The American Historical Review, 54::32-48 (Oct. 1948).
- ^ Mattingly, "The Historian of the Spanish Empire," p. 93.
- ^ Roger Bigelow Merriman - American Antiquarian Society
- ^ Mattingly, "The Historian of the Spanish Empire," p. 95.
- ^ Mattingly, "The Historian of the Spanish Empire", pp. 93-94.
- ^ Mattingly, "The Historian of the Spanish Empire,", p. 103.