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R. W. Southern

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354:. This pioneering work, sketching the main personalities and cultural influences that shaped the character of Western Europe from the late tenth to the early thirteenth century and describing the development of social, political, and religious institutions, opened up new vistas in medieval history, and has been translated into many languages. The final chapter of the book (a chapter dedicated to spirituality) has often been credited with helping to popularize the thesis that in the 11th century Anselm of Canterbury "was the founder of the new type of ardent and effusive self-disclosure", epitomizing a broader tendency to "a greater measure of solitude, of introspection, and self-knowledge" that "ran like fire through Europe in the generation after his death and produced an outburst of meditations and spiritual soliloquies". Southern's ideas were seminal for generations of scholars of medieval spirituality, helping them to build a picture of what they called 369:, for example, have had significant influences on their historiography. Never afraid of controversy, Southern's interpretation of Grosseteste made a dramatic attempt to revise the chronology of Grosseteste's life. Further, Southern saw him as a particularly English figure (in contrast to earlier scholarship, which had seen Grosseteste's connections to French schools as being of particular importance). Southern also took a revisionist line in his re-interpretation of the 402:
aspired to systematise all human knowledge in a comprehensive system. Furthermore, this scholarly vision (the "scholastic humanism" of the title) was to have a major influence on Western culture beyond the schools, as scholars and school-educated men moved out of the schools and took important roles in the government and the church.
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Southern argued that scholars in the 19th and early 20th centuries had built the "School of Chartres" into a romanticised edifice out of all proportion with the documentary record. The figures in the School of Chartres were actually much more active in Paris than in Chartres itself, according to
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was unfortunately destined to remain unfinished at his death. Southern never managed to finish the third volume of the work. The first two volumes do, however, represent a major contribution to medieval scholarship. In the work, Southern argues that, from the 12th century on, medieval scholars
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Southern's interpretation of Grosseteste has not found universal support. Several reviews of the work when it first came out noted problems with his argument, and James McEvoy did not find all of Southern's revisions to Grosseteste's biography compelling. Cf. McEvoy,
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one of two best single-volume books on the Middle Ages written in the 20th century for inspiring a revolution in the study of the period. However, Southern declined to lead the revolution by forming a programmatic research institute. Cantor describes him in
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In addition to these major works, Southern also wrote several works that have not had quite as much influence on medieval scholarship. His brief
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In addition to the influence exerted by his works, Southern had several prominent students who carried his influence into the next generation.
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Southern made major contributions to the areas he studied, and was not afraid to attack long-held views. Southern's monographic studies of
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represents a relatively early effort to describe medieval attitudes towards Islam, identifying three stages in their development. His
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Inventing the Middle Ages: The Lives, Works and Ideas of the Great Medievalists of the Twentieth Century
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of the time. Southern's revisionist or iconoclastic approach was continued by some of his students.
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Southern; Chartres did indeed have a school, but it did not surpass the usual level of
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on 6 February 2001. His son, Dr Peter Campbell David Southern, was Head Master of
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St Anselm and His Biographer: A Study of Monastic Life and Thought 1059–c.1130
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Cultures of Piety: Medieval English Devotional Literature in Translation
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Robert Grosseteste: The Growth of an English Mind in Medieval Europe
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but has not received quite as much attention as his earlier work.
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for Medieval History in 1987. He was knighted in 1974. He died in
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People educated at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne
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states first several themes that would be later developed in
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For the British theatre historian and stage designer, see
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History and Historians: Selected Papers of R. W. Southern
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Corresponding Fellows of the Medieval Academy of America
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had some of Southern's tendencies towards iconoclasm.
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Ranulf Flambard and Early Anglo-Norman Administration
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Southern is one of 20 medieval scholars profiled in
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Archived from 762:President of the Royal Historical Society 452:Western Views of Islam in the Middle Ages 407:Western Views of Islam in the Middle Ages 620: 244:on 8 February 1912, and educated at the 1078:Presidents of St John's College, Oxford 1040: 735:President of St John's College, Oxford 16:English medieval historian (1912–2001) 1088:Chichele Professors of Modern History 783: 505:St. Anselm: A Portrait in a Landscape 266:Chichele Professor of Modern History 488:Medieval Humanism and Other Studies 411:Medieval Humanism and Other Studies 21:Richard Southern (theatre designer) 13: 508:(Cambridge University Press, 1992) 475:(Cambridge University Press, 1963) 373:, an argument stated first in his 14: 1114: 1073:Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford 685: 455:(Harvard University Press, 1962) 1093:20th-century English historians 1058:People from Newcastle upon Tyne 835:Henry Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare 341: 306:. Cantor considers Southern's 246:Royal Grammar School, Newcastle 1098:Fellows of the British Academy 829:John Russell, 1st Earl Russell 667: 637: 614: 589: 563: 545: 1: 625:The Making of the Middle Ages 538: 447:(Yale University Press, 1953) 444:The Making of the Middle Ages 423:The Making of the Middle Ages 397:Southern's final major work, 348:The Making of the Middle Ages 317:The Making of the Middle Ages 308:The Making of the Middle Ages 694:– By Dr Michael W DeLashmutt 534:(Blackwell Publishing, 2004) 235: 204:Sir Richard William Southern 7: 913:Robert William Seton-Watson 10: 1119: 421:is a textbook survey like 18: 841:Sir M. E. Grant Duff 817: 768: 759: 751: 741: 732: 724: 719: 703:Virginia Quarterly Review 692:Gifford Lecture biography 279:Southern was awarded the 270:St John's College, Oxford 197: 187: 179:St John's College, Oxford 174:All Souls College, Oxford 161: 125: 115: 110: 100: 95: 91: 72: 53: 30: 621:Southern, R. W. (1953). 428: 377:and then refined in his 274:Royal Historical Society 58:Richard William Southern 991:Sir P. J. Marshall 949:Sir R. W. Southern 258:Vivian Hunter Galbraith 250:Balliol College, Oxford 169:Balliol College, Oxford 105:Balliol College, Oxford 901:Sir F. M. Powicke 224:, was a noted English 643:For one example, see 240:Southern was born in 192:Brian Patrick McGuire 1068:British medievalists 571:"List of Presidents" 415:Scholastic Humanism. 276:from 1969 to 1973. 230:University of Oxford 148:Anselm of Canterbury 967:Sir J. C. Holt 937:Sir Goronwy Edwards 853:Sir George Prothero 601:www.chmuseum.org.uk 557:The Medieval Review 522:(Wiley, 1997, 2001) 242:Newcastle-upon-Tyne 222:R. W. Southern 96:Academic background 65:Newcastle-upon-Tyne 955:Sir Geoffrey Elton 919:Theodore Plucknett 883:Sir John Fortescue 865:William Cunningham 728:John David Mabbott 676:Robert Grosseteste 371:School of Chartres 367:Robert Grosseteste 226:medieval historian 153:Robert Grosseteste 1035: 1034: 997:Dame Janet Nelson 961:Sir John Habakkuk 907:Sir Frank Stenton 895:Sir Richard Lodge 871:Sir Charles Firth 847:Sir Adolphus Ward 778: 777: 769:Succeeded by 742:Succeeded by 720:Academic offices 697:Palmer, William. 384:cathedral schools 375:Medieval Humanism 293:Christ's Hospital 289:Bancroft's School 219: 201: 200: 138:Early Middle Ages 1110: 979:Michael Thompson 877:Sir Charles Oman 804: 797: 790: 781: 780: 752:Preceded by 745:Sir John Kendrew 725:Preceded by 717: 716: 679: 671: 665: 664: 641: 635: 634: 628: 618: 612: 611: 609: 607: 593: 587: 586: 584: 582: 567: 561: 560: 549: 332:High Middle Ages 262:Christopher Hill 218: 213: 206: 188:Notable students 143:High Middle Ages 133:Medieval history 79: 48: 37:Richard Southern 28: 27: 1118: 1117: 1113: 1112: 1111: 1109: 1108: 1107: 1038: 1037: 1036: 1031: 985:Sir Rees Davies 943:Robin Humphreys 813: 808: 774: 765: 757: 755:Robin Humphreys 747: 738: 730: 688: 683: 682: 672: 668: 661: 642: 638: 619: 615: 605: 603: 595: 594: 590: 580: 578: 577:on 16 July 2011 569: 568: 564: 551: 550: 546: 541: 532:Robert Bartlett 483:(Penguin, 1970) 431: 356:affective piety 344: 324:Robert Bartlett 313:Arthurian terms 254:Maurice Powicke 238: 211: 207: 183: 157: 87: 81: 77: 76:6 February 2001 68: 62: 61:8 February 1912 60: 59: 49: 40: 38: 35: 24: 17: 12: 11: 5: 1116: 1106: 1105: 1100: 1095: 1090: 1085: 1080: 1075: 1070: 1065: 1060: 1055: 1050: 1033: 1032: 1030: 1029: 1023: 1017: 1011: 1005: 1003:Martin Daunton 999: 993: 987: 981: 975: 969: 963: 957: 951: 945: 939: 933: 927: 921: 915: 909: 903: 897: 891: 889:Frederick Tout 885: 879: 873: 867: 861: 855: 849: 843: 837: 831: 825: 818: 815: 814: 807: 806: 799: 792: 784: 776: 775: 772:Geoffrey Elton 770: 767: 758: 753: 749: 748: 743: 740: 731: 726: 722: 721: 715: 714: 706: 705:, Winter 1998. 695: 687: 686:External links 684: 681: 680: 666: 659: 647:"Introduction" 636: 613: 588: 562: 559:. 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Moore 1042:Categories 1019:2016–2020 1013:2012–2016 1007:2009–2012 1001:2005–2008 995:2001–2005 989:1997–2001 983:1993–1997 977:1989–1993 971:1985–1989 965:1981–1985 959:1977–1981 953:1973–1977 947:1969–1973 941:1965–1969 935:1961–1965 929:1957–1961 923:1953–1957 917:1949–1953 911:1946–1949 905:1937–1945 899:1933–1937 893:1929–1933 887:1925–1929 881:1921–1925 875:1917–1921 869:1913–1917 863:1909–1913 857:1905–1909 851:1901–1905 845:1899–1901 839:1891–1899 833:1878–1891 827:1873–1878 821:1871–1872 766:1969–1973 739:1969–1981 660:0801484553 539:References 116:Discipline 363:St Anselm 248:, and at 236:Biography 120:Historian 101:Education 86:, England 67:, England 712:obituary 520:Vol. II 657:  516:Vol. I 499:review 491:(1970) 465:Eadmer 334:, and 285:Oxford 84:Oxford 518:and 463:, by 429:Works 214: 212:, 44: 655:ISBN 608:2023 583:2010 417:His 365:and 326:and 291:and 256:and 216:FRSL 73:Died 54:Born 46:FRSL 631:227 302:'s 264:), 209:FBA 42:FBA 33:Sir 1044:: 701:, 649:. 599:. 555:. 514:, 394:. 295:. 232:. 803:e 796:t 789:v 663:. 633:. 610:. 585:. 23:.

Index

Richard Southern (theatre designer)
Sir
FBA
FRSL
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Historian
Medieval history
Early Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
Anselm of Canterbury
Robert Grosseteste
Balliol College, Oxford
All Souls College, Oxford
St John's College, Oxford
Brian Patrick McGuire
FBA
FRSL
medieval historian
University of Oxford
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Royal Grammar School, Newcastle
Balliol College, Oxford
Maurice Powicke
Vivian Hunter Galbraith
Christopher Hill
Chichele Professor of Modern History
St John's College, Oxford
Royal Historical Society

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