Merriman, Roger Bigelow
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Roger Bigelow Merriman (24 May 1876 – 7 September 1945) was an American historian and a practitioner of scientific
historiography Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians ha ...
developed by German historians. He is known especially for his multivolume history of the
Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
.Garrett Mattingly, "The Historian of the Spanish Empire", in ''Latin American History: Essays on its Study and Teaching'', section III, "Pioneers, 1900-1918", vol. 1, p. 99. reprinted from ''
The American Historical Review ''The American Historical Review'' is a quarterly academic history journal and the official publication of the American Historical Association. It targets readers interested in all periods and facets of history and has often been described as the ...
'', 54::32-48 (Oct. 1948).


Biography

Roger Bigelow Merriman was the only child of Daniel Merriman, minister of the Central Congregational Church in
Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
, and the artist and art collector
Helen Bigelow Merriman Helen Bigelow Merriman (July 14, 1844MERRIMAN, Helen Bigelow
in ''
."Merriman Family Papers"
Massachusetts Historical Society.
His maternal grandfather was Erastus Brigham Bigelow, an inventor of weaving machinery. Merriman entered
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
as an undergraduate in 1892, earning both an A.B. and an M.A. degree. He went on to spend two years (1897–99) studying history at
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...
, finishing with a B.Litt degree. He obtained his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1902 and that same year published his biography of Cromwell, which he considered "as apprentice work."C.K.S
"Roger Bigelow Merriman"
''American Antiquarian Society'', October 1945, pp. 245-47. (Obituary)
In 1902 Merriman was elected a member of the
American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society i ...
.American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
/ref> Merriman taught at Harvard for many years. He was initially hired in 1902 as an instructor and was later promoted to assistant professor (1908) and full professor (1918). He served for a time as master of
Eliot House Eliot House is one of twelve undergraduate residential Houses at Harvard University. It is one of the seven original houses at the college. Opened in 1931, the house was named after Charles William Eliot, who served as president of the universi ...
. In 1925-36, he was a visiting professor at the
Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...
in France. He received a number of honorary doctorates. The course he taught on the Spanish Empire gave the impetus for his research and voluminous publication on the topic. His four-volume work ''The Rise of the
Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
'' (1918-1934) is recognized as a pioneering work in the field of
Latin American history The term ''Latin America'' primarily refers to the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries in the New World. Before the arrival of Europeans in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the region was home to many indigenous peoples, a number of ...
. Its main thesis is that "the Spanish Empire, unlike its British rival, was the natural continuation of Spain's medieval history." One assessment of his work is that "Merriman will always be a historian's historian," and his work never found public favor. "In the long run, one feels, the reputation of Roger Merriman is secure in the hands of his fellow historians."


Works

*''The Life and Letters of Thomas Cromwell'' (London, 1902) *''The Rise of the Spanish Empire'' (4 vols., 1918–34) *''Suleiman the Magnificent 1520-1566'' (Cambridge, Mass., 1944)


Personal life

Merriman married Dorothea Foote, and they had four children: Roger, Daniel, Dorothea, and Helen.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merriman, RB 1876 births 1945 deaths 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers Historians of Latin America Harvard University alumni Harvard University faculty Latin Americanists Historians of Spain Members of the American Antiquarian Society 20th-century American male writers