H. C. Erik Midelfort
Encyclopedia
H.C. Erik Midelfort (born 1942), is C. Julian Bishko Professor Emeritus of History and Religious Studies at the University of Virginia
. He is a specialist of the German Reformation and the history of Christianity in Early Modern Europe
(c. 1400-1800).
He was born in Eau Claire
, Wisconsin and attended Yale University
where he received a B.A. in History in 1964. He remained there for graduate studies in History under the supervision of Jaroslav Pelikan
and other noted scholars such as Hajo Holborn
, J. H. Hexter
, and Edmund S. Morgan. In 1970, he graduated from Yale, and his first book (Witch Hunting in Southwestern Germany, 1562-1684: The Social and Intellectual Foundations) won the Gustav O. Arlt Award in the Humanities in 1973 from the Council of Graduate Schools in the United States.
From 1968 to 1970, he taught at Stanford University
, and throughout his career, he has been a visiting scholar at Bern, Stuttgart, Harvard, and Oxford, where he was a visiting scholar at Wolfson College and a visiting fellow at All Souls College. Since 1970, he has been a member of the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia
.
In addition to his early work on witchcraft, Midelfort is perhaps best known for his award-winning studies on madness. In 1994, he published Mad Princes in Renaissance Germany and in 1999, A History of Madness in Sixteenth-Century Germany. For both books, he won the Roland Bainton Prize for the best book of the year in History and Theology from the Sixteenth Century Society and Conference. He is one of only two scholars to win the award twice. For the latter study, Midelfort also received from the Ralph Waldo Emerson Award from Phi Beta Kappa. More recently, Midelfort was selected as the lecturer-in-residence for the Terry Lectures at Yale University, during which he presented his latest book-length work, Exorcism and Enlightenment: Johann Joseph Gassner and the Demons of 18th-Century Germany (2005).
Because of his extensive work in translation of secondary sources, Midelfort is also well-known for strengthening connections between his German
and American
colleagues. Among the seminal works that he has translated on the German Reformation are Peter Blickle’s The Revolution of 1525 (co-translator with Thomas Brady) and Bernd Moeller’s Imperial Cities and the Reformation, Three Essays (co-translator with Mark U. Edwards).
He has been awarded grants from numerous organizations, including the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
and the National Endowment for the Humanities
, and in 2004, he was the recipient of a Festschrift, or commemorative volume, presented by his German colleagues: Wider alle Hexerei und Teufelswerk: Die europäische Hexenverfolgung und ihre Auswirkungen auf Südwestdeutschland, eds. Sönke Lorenz and Jürgen Michael Schmidt. In 2008, he received another festschrift, Ideas and Cultural Margins in Early Modern Germany, eds. Marjorie Elizabeth Plummer and Robin Barnes.
Midelfort delivered his final undergraduate lecture on April 28, 2008 on the topic of magic and modernity. He retired from active teaching in May 2008.
Midelfort is the recipient of Spring 2011 Ellen Maria Gorrissen Berlin Prize from the American Academy in Berlin
.
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. He is a specialist of the German Reformation and the history of Christianity in Early Modern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(c. 1400-1800).
He was born in Eau Claire
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Eau Claire is a city located in the west-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 65,883 as of the 2010 census, making it the largest municipality in the northwestern portion of the state, and the 9th largest in the state overall. It is the county seat of Eau Claire County,...
, Wisconsin and attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
where he received a B.A. in History in 1964. He remained there for graduate studies in History under the supervision of Jaroslav Pelikan
Jaroslav Pelikan
Jaroslav Jan Pelikan was a scholar in the history of Christianity, Christian theology and medieval intellectual history.-Early years:...
and other noted scholars such as Hajo Holborn
Hajo Holborn
Hajo Holborn was a German-American historian and specialist in modern German history.- Life :...
, J. H. Hexter
J. H. Hexter
Jack H. Hexter was an American historian, a specialist in Tudor and seventeenth century British history, and well known for his comments on historiography.-Early career:...
, and Edmund S. Morgan. In 1970, he graduated from Yale, and his first book (Witch Hunting in Southwestern Germany, 1562-1684: The Social and Intellectual Foundations) won the Gustav O. Arlt Award in the Humanities in 1973 from the Council of Graduate Schools in the United States.
From 1968 to 1970, he taught at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, and throughout his career, he has been a visiting scholar at Bern, Stuttgart, Harvard, and Oxford, where he was a visiting scholar at Wolfson College and a visiting fellow at All Souls College. Since 1970, he has been a member of the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
.
In addition to his early work on witchcraft, Midelfort is perhaps best known for his award-winning studies on madness. In 1994, he published Mad Princes in Renaissance Germany and in 1999, A History of Madness in Sixteenth-Century Germany. For both books, he won the Roland Bainton Prize for the best book of the year in History and Theology from the Sixteenth Century Society and Conference. He is one of only two scholars to win the award twice. For the latter study, Midelfort also received from the Ralph Waldo Emerson Award from Phi Beta Kappa. More recently, Midelfort was selected as the lecturer-in-residence for the Terry Lectures at Yale University, during which he presented his latest book-length work, Exorcism and Enlightenment: Johann Joseph Gassner and the Demons of 18th-Century Germany (2005).
Because of his extensive work in translation of secondary sources, Midelfort is also well-known for strengthening connections between his German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
colleagues. Among the seminal works that he has translated on the German Reformation are Peter Blickle’s The Revolution of 1525 (co-translator with Thomas Brady) and Bernd Moeller’s Imperial Cities and the Reformation, Three Essays (co-translator with Mark U. Edwards).
He has been awarded grants from numerous organizations, including the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
and the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
, and in 2004, he was the recipient of a Festschrift, or commemorative volume, presented by his German colleagues: Wider alle Hexerei und Teufelswerk: Die europäische Hexenverfolgung und ihre Auswirkungen auf Südwestdeutschland, eds. Sönke Lorenz and Jürgen Michael Schmidt. In 2008, he received another festschrift, Ideas and Cultural Margins in Early Modern Germany, eds. Marjorie Elizabeth Plummer and Robin Barnes.
Midelfort delivered his final undergraduate lecture on April 28, 2008 on the topic of magic and modernity. He retired from active teaching in May 2008.
Midelfort is the recipient of Spring 2011 Ellen Maria Gorrissen Berlin Prize from the American Academy in Berlin
American Academy in Berlin
The American Academy in Berlin is a research and cultural institution in Berlin whose stated mission is to foster a greater understanding and dialogue between the people of the United States and the people of Germany.The American Academy was founded in September 1994 by a group of prominent...
.
Sources
- http://www.virginia.edu/history/user/43
- http://www.yale.edu/terrylecture/midelfort.html