Godefroid Kurth

Born in 1847, Godefroid Kurth became one of Belgium’s best-known historians. He taught at the University of Liège and built a reputation for serious archival research, especially on the history of Liège in the Middle Ages and on the early history of Belgium.

His books explored big historical questions as well as local ones. He is especially associated with studies of medieval institutions and with Les Origines de la civilisation moderne, a work that argued for the deep importance of Christianity in the making of European civilization.

Kurth was also active beyond the university. Remembered as an early Christian democrat as well as a historian, he brought together historical scholarship, Catholic social ideas, and public debate. He died in 1916, leaving a body of work that remained influential in Belgian intellectual life.