Timothy Reuter
Encyclopedia
Timothy Alan Reuter grandson of the former mayor of Berlin
Ernst Reuter
, was a German-British
historian who specialized in the study of medieval Germany, particularly the social, military and ecclesiastical institutions of the Ottonian
and Salian periods (10th-12th centuries).
Reuter received his D.phil from Oxford in medieval history under the supervision of Karl Leyser (d. 1992), another leading Anglophone scholar of German history. After a brief stint lecturing at the University of Exeter
, Reuter spent more than a decade as a Mitarbeiter (academic staff member) at the Monumenta Germaniae Historica
in Munich, where he worked on editing the letters of the twelfth-century abbot Wibald of Corvey and (with Dr. Gabriel Silagi) produced an important electronic database that served as the basis for a concordance
to the work of the medieval canonist Gratian
.
In 1994, Reuter was appointed to a professorship at the University of Southampton
, where he remained until his death in 2002. At Southampton, he spearheaded a number of educational and research initiatives that promoted medieval history and scholarship.
In addition to his careful and insightful research, pioneering work on computer-assisted text editing methods and professional contributions to the historical academy in the UK and Germany, Reuter served as an important liaison between the worlds of Anglo-American and German medieval studies. Among his important contributions in this area were numerous book reviews in German and British publications, a highly-regarded translation of Gerd Tellenbach
's monograph on the history of the church in the High Middle Ages (The Church in Western Europe from the tenth to the early twelfth century, Cambridge, 1993) and the posthumous editing and publishing of his mentor Karl Leyser's papers (Communications and Power in Medieval Europe, 2 vols., Hambledon & London, 1992). His own monograph, Germany in the Early Middle Ages, 800-1056 (Harlow, Essex & New York, 1991) remains the standard English-language survey of the subject.
At the time of his death of brain cancer, he was working on a history of the medieval episcopacy. His collected papers are posthumously published as Medieval Polities and Modern Mentalities (Cambridge, 2006).
Challenging the Boundaries of Medieval History: The Legacy of Timothy Reuter, edited by Patricia Skinner, was published in 2009 as volume 22 in the University of York Studies in the Early Middle Ages (Brepols, Turnhout, Belgium).
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...
Ernst Reuter
Ernst Reuter
Ernst Rudolf Johannes Reuter was the German mayor of West Berlin from 1948 to 1953, during the time of the Cold War.- Early years :...
, was a German-British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
historian who specialized in the study of medieval Germany, particularly the social, military and ecclesiastical institutions of the Ottonian
Ottonian
The Ottonian dynasty was a dynasty of Germanic Kings , named after its first emperor but also known as the Saxon dynasty after the family's origin. The family itself is also sometimes known as the Liudolfings, after its earliest known member Liudolf and one of its primary leading-names...
and Salian periods (10th-12th centuries).
Reuter received his D.phil from Oxford in medieval history under the supervision of Karl Leyser (d. 1992), another leading Anglophone scholar of German history. After a brief stint lecturing at the University of Exeter
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....
, Reuter spent more than a decade as a Mitarbeiter (academic staff member) at the Monumenta Germaniae Historica
Monumenta Germaniae Historica
The Monumenta Germaniae Historica is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published sources for the study of German history from the end of the Roman Empire to 1500.The society sponsoring the series was established by the Prussian reformer Heinrich Friedrich Karl Freiherr vom...
in Munich, where he worked on editing the letters of the twelfth-century abbot Wibald of Corvey and (with Dr. Gabriel Silagi) produced an important electronic database that served as the basis for a concordance
Concordance
Concordance can mean:* Concordance , a list of words used in a body of work, with their immediate contexts* Concordance , the presence of the same trait in both members of a pair of twins...
to the work of the medieval canonist Gratian
Gratian
Gratian was Roman Emperor from 375 to 383.The eldest son of Valentinian I, during his youth Gratian accompanied his father on several campaigns along the Rhine and Danube frontiers. Upon the death of Valentinian in 375, Gratian's brother Valentinian II was declared emperor by his father's soldiers...
.
In 1994, Reuter was appointed to a professorship at the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
, where he remained until his death in 2002. At Southampton, he spearheaded a number of educational and research initiatives that promoted medieval history and scholarship.
In addition to his careful and insightful research, pioneering work on computer-assisted text editing methods and professional contributions to the historical academy in the UK and Germany, Reuter served as an important liaison between the worlds of Anglo-American and German medieval studies. Among his important contributions in this area were numerous book reviews in German and British publications, a highly-regarded translation of Gerd Tellenbach
Gerd Tellenbach
Gerd Tellenbach was a German historian and scholar of medieval social and religious history, particularly of the Papacy and German church during the Investiture Controversy and reform movements of the eleventh and twelfth centuries...
's monograph on the history of the church in the High Middle Ages (The Church in Western Europe from the tenth to the early twelfth century, Cambridge, 1993) and the posthumous editing and publishing of his mentor Karl Leyser's papers (Communications and Power in Medieval Europe, 2 vols., Hambledon & London, 1992). His own monograph, Germany in the Early Middle Ages, 800-1056 (Harlow, Essex & New York, 1991) remains the standard English-language survey of the subject.
At the time of his death of brain cancer, he was working on a history of the medieval episcopacy. His collected papers are posthumously published as Medieval Polities and Modern Mentalities (Cambridge, 2006).
Challenging the Boundaries of Medieval History: The Legacy of Timothy Reuter, edited by Patricia Skinner, was published in 2009 as volume 22 in the University of York Studies in the Early Middle Ages (Brepols, Turnhout, Belgium).