A Great Catholic Historian: Godfrey Kurth C. S. G.

I have finished reading the wonderful volume of Godfrey Kurth, The Church at the Turning Points of History, now happily brought back into print by my friends at IHS Press. This accomplished author is not so well known as he should be. For that reason, I’m posting the biographical information on him furnished in the older (1929) edition of the book I have at hand. (Note to the hurried reader: At the bottom of this piece, I have put hyperlinks to Kurth’s articles in the Catholic Encyclopedia, where “Godefroid” was the form of his first name the editors used.)

“The Catholic Encyclopedia and Its Makers” gives the following biographical sketch of the Author of “L’Eglise aux Tournants de l’Histoire” (The Church at the Turning Points of History):

Godfrey Kurth C. S. G., born at Arlon, Belgium, May 11, 1847; died at Assche, Brabant, January 4, 1916. Professor at the State University of Liege, Belgium, 1872-1906; director Belgian Historical Institute, Rome, 1906-1916. Secretary Royal Historical Commission; member of: The Academy of the Catholic Religion (Rome); the Royal Society of Literature (London); the Society for Rhenish Historical Research (Cologne); The Dutch Literary Society (Leyden); the Madrid Historical Academy; the Academy of Belles Lettres (Barcelona); Royal Academy of Belgium; hon. member of the National Academy (Rheims); titular member of the Royal Academy of Conchology; president of the Board of Administration of the Royal Library; doctor honoris causa of the Catholic University (Louvain); Com­mander of the Order of Leopold; Knight of the Order of Pius IX. Author of: “Caton l’ancien”; “Etude critique sur Saint-Lambert et son premier biographe”; “La loi de Beaumont en Belgique”; Lea Origines de la civilisation moderne.” (6 eds.); “Les Origines de la ville de Liége”; “Histoire poétique des Mérovingiens”; “La frontiére linguistique en Belgique et dans le nord de la France”, 2 vols.; “Ste Clotilde” (10 eds.); “Les études franques”; “L’église aux tournants de l’histoire” (5 eds.); “Clovis”, 2 vols. (2 eds.); “Saint-Boniface” (4 eds.) ; “Chartes de l’Abbaye de Saint-Hubert en Ardenne”; “Notger de Liége et la civilisation au Xe siècle”, 2 vols.; “La cité de Liége au moyen âge”, 3 vols.; “Manuel de l’ histoire de Belgique” (3 eds.) ; “Abrégé de l’histoire de Belgique” (2 eds.); “Manuel d’histoire universelle”, 2 vols.; “Notre nom national”; “Mizraim, Souvenirs d’ Egypte.”; “La nationalité Belge”; founder and first director of “Archives Belges, revue critique d’historiographio nationale” The Catholic Encyclopedia contains the following articles from his pen: Belgium; Burgundy; Charles Martel; Clotilda, Saint; Clovis; Egmont, Count of Lamoral; Frankenburg, Johann Hoinrich, Graf von; Franks; Fredegarius; Granvelle, Antoine Perrenot de; Netherlands; Philip II (Spain).