Wilhelm Levison
Encyclopedia
Wilhelm Levison was a German medievalist. He was well known as a contributor to Monumenta Germaniae Historica
, especially for the vitae
from the Merovingian era. He also edited Wilhelm Wattenbach
's Deutschlands Geschichtsquellen im Mittelalter. In 1935 he was forced to retire from his professorship at Bonn University because of the Nuremberg Laws
. He fled Nazi Germany
in the spring of 1939, to Durham University
. He was Ford's Lecturer
in the University of Oxford
for the academic year 1942/3, and published his lectures as England and the Continent in the Eighth Century (1946). He died during the preparation of Aus Rheinischer und Fränkischer Frühzeit (1948).
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...
, especially for the vitae
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
from the Merovingian era. He also edited Wilhelm Wattenbach
Wilhelm Wattenbach
Wilhelm Wattenbach , was a German historian.He was born at Ranzau in Holstein. He studied philology at the universities of Bonn, Göttingen and Berlin, and in 1843 he began to work upon the Monumenta Germaniae Historica...
's Deutschlands Geschichtsquellen im Mittelalter. In 1935 he was forced to retire from his professorship at Bonn University because of the Nuremberg Laws
Nuremberg Laws
The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 were antisemitic laws in Nazi Germany introduced at the annual Nuremberg Rally of the Nazi Party. After the takeover of power in 1933 by Hitler, Nazism became an official ideology incorporating scientific racism and antisemitism...
. He fled Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in the spring of 1939, to Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
. He was Ford's Lecturer
Ford Lectures
The Ford Lectures are a prestigious series of public lectures given annually in English or British History by a distinguished historian. Known commonly as "The Ford Lectures," they are properly titled "Ford's Lectures in British History" and they are given by a scholar elected to be "Ford's...
in the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
for the academic year 1942/3, and published his lectures as England and the Continent in the Eighth Century (1946). He died during the preparation of Aus Rheinischer und Fränkischer Frühzeit (1948).
Notable students
- Theodor SchiefferTheodor SchiefferTheodor Schieffer was a German historian. He was professor of medieval history at the University of Mainz, then at the University of Cologne, and since 1952 he was president of the Association for Middle Rhine Church History...
, who dedicated Winfrid-Bonifatius und die Grundlegung Europas to Levison
External links
- The Levison papers at Durham University