Reinhold Röhricht
Encyclopedia
Gustav Reinhold Röhricht (November 18, 1842 – May 2, 1905) was a German historian of the crusades
.
(now Bolesławiec, Poland), the third son of a miller. He studied at the Gymnasium in Sagan (now Żagań
) from 1852 to 1862, and then attended the Berlin
Theological School, where he obtained his licentiate
in 1866. He then taught at the Berlin School of Religion, teaching Hebrew and German to the upperclassmen and Latin and Greek to the younger students. From 1867 to 1868 he taught at the Dorotheenstädtische Realgymnasium, then at the Luisenstädtische Realschule
until 1875. From then until 1904 he taught at the Humboldtgymnasium, first as Oberlehrer and after 1882 as Professor. In 1904, due to poor health, the Prussia
n Ministry of Education forced him to retire with a pension. The pension was the same as that given to any other Gymnasium professor, and although it was surprising to others who were aware of Röhricht's fame and importance, he himself "ne sollicita point les hommages et ne rechercha pas les profitables honneures." He died the next year.
, "ne pourrait occuper avec les mêmes titres et la même autorité qui lui la grande place qu'il laissera vide dans le domaine spécial de nos études." His scholarly reputation was such that in 1940 American historian John L. La Monte described his Geschichte des Königreichs Jerusalem as "a masterful history which left little to be desired", although it was written in "ponderous German"; La Monte favoured it in comparison to the recently-published French history by René Grousset
. Although the Geschichte is now out of date, Röhricht's other magnum opus, the Regesta Regni Hierosolymitani, remains useful to modern crusade historians; it is a collection of over nine hundred charters and other documents issued from the royal chancery of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
, which, until edited and published by Röhricht, had remained scattered throughout dozens of other medieval cartularies. He was also the first historian to collect all the medieval material pertaining to the Fifth Crusade
.
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
.
Biography
He was born in Bunzlau in SilesiaProvince of Silesia
The Province of Silesia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1815 to 1919.-Geography:The territory comprised the bulk of the former Bohemian crown land of Silesia and the County of Kladsko, which King Frederick the Great had conquered from the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th...
(now Bolesławiec, Poland), the third son of a miller. He studied at the Gymnasium in Sagan (now Żagań
Zagan
Zagan may refer to:*Zagan - a demon in the Ars Goetia*Żagań - a town in west Poland...
) from 1852 to 1862, and then attended the Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
Theological School, where he obtained his licentiate
Licentiate
Licentiate is the title of a person who holds an academic degree called a licence. The term may derive from the Latin licentia docendi, meaning permission to teach. The term may also derive from the Latin licentia ad practicandum, which signified someone who held a certificate of competence to...
in 1866. He then taught at the Berlin School of Religion, teaching Hebrew and German to the upperclassmen and Latin and Greek to the younger students. From 1867 to 1868 he taught at the Dorotheenstädtische Realgymnasium, then at the Luisenstädtische Realschule
Realschule
The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
until 1875. From then until 1904 he taught at the Humboldtgymnasium, first as Oberlehrer and after 1882 as Professor. In 1904, due to poor health, the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n Ministry of Education forced him to retire with a pension. The pension was the same as that given to any other Gymnasium professor, and although it was surprising to others who were aware of Röhricht's fame and importance, he himself "ne sollicita point les hommages et ne rechercha pas les profitables honneures." He died the next year.
Crusade historian
As Hans E. Mayer says, Röhricht was "an antiquarian rather than a historian", but nevertheless laid the "foundation of all modern crusade research." According to his obituary in The American Historical Review, "his most important work was almost wholly on the crusades, the eight main works published since 1874 comprising probably the most important contribution by any one scholar in this field." "Nul aujourd'hui", wrote the Revue de l'orient latinRevue de l'Orient Latin
The Revue de l'Orient latin is a 12-volume set of medieval documents which was published from 1893-1911. It was a continuation of the Archives de l'Orient latin, two volumes of which were published from 1881 - 1884. Various medieval documents and letters are often cited in other scholarly works...
, "ne pourrait occuper avec les mêmes titres et la même autorité qui lui la grande place qu'il laissera vide dans le domaine spécial de nos études." His scholarly reputation was such that in 1940 American historian John L. La Monte described his Geschichte des Königreichs Jerusalem as "a masterful history which left little to be desired", although it was written in "ponderous German"; La Monte favoured it in comparison to the recently-published French history by René Grousset
René Grousset
René Grousset was a French historian, curator of both the Cernuschi and Guimet Museums in Paris, and a member of the prestigious Académie française...
. Although the Geschichte is now out of date, Röhricht's other magnum opus, the Regesta Regni Hierosolymitani, remains useful to modern crusade historians; it is a collection of over nine hundred charters and other documents issued from the royal chancery of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
, which, until edited and published by Röhricht, had remained scattered throughout dozens of other medieval cartularies. He was also the first historian to collect all the medieval material pertaining to the Fifth Crusade
Fifth Crusade
The Fifth Crusade was an attempt to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering the powerful Ayyubid state in Egypt....
.
Books
- Beiträge zur Geschichte der Kreuzzüge (2 vols., Berlin and Leipzig, 1874–8) (online)
- Quinti Belli sacri scriptores minores (Geneva, 1879) (online)
- Arabische Quellenbeiträge zur Geschichte der Kreuzzüge (1879) (online)
- Études sur les derniers temps du royaume de Jérusalem (1881) (online)
- Testimonia minora de quinto bello sacro (1882) (online)
- An edition of the Annales de Terre Sainte, 1095-1291 (Paris, 1884) (online)
- Das Reisebuch der Familie Rieter (Stuttgart, 1884) (online)
- Bibliotheca geographica Palaestinae (Berlin, 1890) (online)
- Kleine Studien zur Geschichte der Kreuzzüge (Berlin, 1890)
- Studien zur Geschichte des fünften Kreuzzuges (Innsbruck, 1891) (online)
- Die Deutschen im Heiligen Lande (Innsbruck, 1894)
- Geschichte der Kreuzzüge im umriss (1898) (online)
- Geschichte des Königreichs Jerusalem (1100–1291) (Innsbruck, 1898) (online)
- Geschichte des ersten Kreuzzuges (Innsbruck, 1901) (online)
- Deutsche Pilgerreisen nach dem heiligen Lande (1900) (online)
- Regesta Regni Hierosolymitani, 1097–1291 (Innsbruck, 1893), with Additamentum (1904) (online)
Articles
- "Der Kreuzzug Königs Andreas II von Ungarn", Forschungen zur deutschen Geschichte 16 (1876)
- "Der Kinderkreuzzug von 1212", Historische ZeitschriftHistorische ZeitschriftHistorische Zeitschrift, founded in 1859 by Heinrich von Sybel is considered to be the first and for a time the foremost historical journal. The creation of this journal inspired Gabriel Monod to found the French Revue historique in 1876. In 1886 the English Historical Review was founded and in...
36 (1876) - "Acte de soumission des barons du royaume de Jérusalem à Frédéric II (7 mai 1241)", Archives de l'Orient latin 1 (1881), pp. 395–402 (online)
- "Burgundisches", Neues Archiv der Gesellschaft für ältere deutsche Geschichtskunde 8 (1883), pp. 194–6
- "Hans Hundts Rechnungsbuch (1493-1494)", Neues Archiv für sächsische Geschichte und Altertumskunde 4 (1883), pp. 37–100
- "Lettres de Ricoldo de Monte-CroceRiccoldo da Monte di CroceRiccoldo da Monte di Croce or Ricoldo of Monte Croce , c.1243 - 1320, was an Italian Dominican monk, travel writer, missionary, and Christian apologist.-Life:...
sur la prise d'Acre (1291)", Archives de l'Orient latin 2 (1884), pp. 258–296 (online: see pp. 765 ff. of Google PDF) - "Die Pastorellen (1251)", Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte 6 (1884)
- "Zur Geschichte der Kreuzzüge", Neues Archiv der Gesellschaft für ältere deutsche Geschichtskunde 11 (1886) pp. 571–9
- "Aus den Regesten Honorius III.", Neues Archiv der Gesellschaft für ältere deutsche Geschichtskunde 12 (1887), pp. 415–8
- "Zur Geschichte der Kirche S. Maria Latina in Jerusalem", Neues Archiv der Gesellschaft für ältere deutsche Geschichtskunde 15 (1890) pp. 203–6
- "Die Jerusalemfahrten der Grafen Philipp, Ludwig (1484) und Reinhard von Hanau (1550)", Zeitschrift des Vereins für hessische Geschichte und Landeskunde 26 (1891)
- "Bemerkungen zu Schillerschen Balladen", Zeitschrift für deutsche Philologie 26 (1894)
- "Karten und Pläne zur Palästinakunde aus dem 7.-16. Jahrhunderts", Zeitschrift des deutschen Palästina-Vereins 18 (1895)
- "Marino Sanudo sen. als Kartograph Palästinas", Zeitschrift des deutschen Palästina-Vereins 21 (1898), pp. 84–126
External links
- Obituary from the Revue de l'orient latin (at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
) - Biography by Dr. William Purkis, from crusaderstudies.org.uk