1. Godefroid Kurth was a Belgian historian and pioneering Christian democrat.
16 Facts About Godefroid Kurth
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Godefroid Kurth is known for his histories of the city of Liege in the Middle Ages and of Belgium, his Catholic account of the formation of modern Europe in Les Origines de la civilisation moderne, and his defence of the medieval guild system.
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Godefroid Kurth was born on 11 May 1847 in Arlon, the capital of the Belgian province of Luxembourg.
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Godefroid Kurth was educated at the Athenee royal d'Arlon and the Liege Normal school, where he completed his studies in 1869.
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In 1873, Kurth became the first person to be awarded the "special doctorate in historical sciences", for a dissertation on Cato the Elder.
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Godefroid Kurth modeled his pedagogy on that instituted by the German historian Leopold von Ranke at the University of Berlin.
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Godefroid Kurth was a member of the committee that organized the Exposition de l'art ancien au Pays de Liege for the 1905 International exposition in Liege.
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In 1906, Godefroid Kurth was promoted to emeritus status and left the university to take up the position of director of the Belgian Historical Institute in Rome.
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In Liege, Godefroid Kurth encountered difficulties because of his strongly held Catholic views, which were considered ultramontane by his contemporaries.
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Godefroid Kurth was an active member of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.
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In 1873, he was elected president of the Cercle catholique de l'Est, one of the predecessor bodies to the Catholic Party, which Godefroid Kurth played a role in founding.
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Godefroid Kurth was a pioneer of Christian democracy, helping organize the Social Congresses held in Liege in 1886,1887, and 1890 that gave shape to Catholic social teaching.
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Godefroid Kurth, who had strong links with the German Centre Party and with German colleagues, was repulsed by the German invasion of Belgium and the accompanying atrocities.
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Godefroid Kurth contracted pneumonia and died at Asse on 4 January 1916.
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Godefroid Kurth was provisionally buried in Asse, and later exhumed and reburied in Arlon at St Martin's Church.
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Godefroid Kurth wrote over 500 books and journal articles, including contributions to the Catholic Encyclopedia.