Erik Lönnroth (1 August 1910 in Gothenburg – 10 March 2002) was one of the most notable Swedish

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

s of the 20th century. He was a life member of the Swedish Academy from 1962 and member of various faculties.''Om Erik Lönnroth'' (Peter Englund)

Background

Nils Erik Magnus Lönnroth was born in Gothenburg and obtained a PhD in history at Gothenburg University College in 1934 at 24 years of age. His thesis treated Thomas Simonsson, the medieval Swedish theologian and Bishop of the

Diocese of Strängnäs The Diocese of Strängnäs ( sv, Strängnäs stift) is a part of the Lutheran Church of Sweden and has its seat in Strängnäs Cathedral in Strängnäs, south of Lake Mälaren. The diocese is made up of the two provinces Närke and Södermanland ...

. He was professor at

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

between 1942-1953 and then at Gothenburg University between 1953 and 1977.

Career

Lönnroth was an influential author. The subjects he did historical research includes the Kalmar Union,

Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–191 ...

, King Gustav III of Sweden and the rebel leader

Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson (1390s – 27 April/4 May 1436) was a Swedish nobleman, rebel leader and military boss of German ancestry. He was the leader of the Engelbrekt rebellion in 1434 against Eric of Pomerania, king of the Kalmar Union. En ...

. Lönnroth took the history subject to a new level in Sweden. He developed and refined the

critical Critical or Critically may refer to: *Critical, or critical but stable, medical states **Critical, or intensive care medicine *Critical juncture, a discontinuous change studied in the social sciences. *Critical Software, a company specializing in ...

theory of historiography that his mentor,

Curt Weibull Curt Weibull (19 August 1886 – 10 November 1991) was a Swedish historian, educator and author. Biography Curt Hugo Johannes Weibull was born in Lund, Sweden. He was a member of the noted Swedish Weibull family. He was the son of professo ...

, had introduced. He also did pioneering work on the medieval economical history of Sweden and on

psychohistory Psychohistory is an amalgam of psychology, history, and related social sciences and the humanities. Its proponents claim to examine the "why" of history, especially the difference between stated intention and actual behavior. Psychobiography, chil ...

Personal life

Erik Lönnroth was the son of Magnus Lönnroth, District Secretary of

Swedish State Railways The Swedish State Railways ( sv, Statens Järnvägar) or SJ, originally the Royal Railway Board ( sv, Kungl. Järnvägsstyrelsen), was the former government agency responsible for operating the state-owned railways in Sweden. It was created i ...

in Gothenburg, and Gerda (Kjellberg) Lönnroth . He married in 1934 to Ebba Lagercrantz (1908-1980). They were the parents of Swedish literary critic,

Lars Lönnroth Lars Lönnroth (born 4 June 1935) is a Swedish literary scholar. He was born in Gothenburg to Erik Lönnroth and Ebba Lagercrantz. His academic career includes professorships at the University of California Berkeley, University of Aalborg and ...

and Swedish politician

Johan Lönnroth Johan Magnus Lönnroth (born 25 December 1937, Gothenburg), is a Swedish left-wing politician and an economist. He has also been a Member of parliament for Vänsterpartiet (the Swedish Left Party) from 1991 to 2003. He is currently working part- ...

, as well as Louise Lönnroth, Ivar Lönnroth, and Peter Lönnroth.

Honours

Lönnroth became a life member of the Swedish Academy in 1962. In 1999, he received an honorary doctorate from the

University of Greifswald The University of Greifswald (; german: Universität Greifswald), formerly also known as “Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald“, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pom ...

Faculty of Arts A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In American usage such divisions are generally referred to as colleges ...

Selected works

*''Sverige och Kalmarunionen: 1397–1457'' (1934) *''Statsmakt och statsfinans i det medeltida Sverige'' (1940) *''En annan uppfattning: Essayer'' (1949) *''Lawrence of Arabia: An Historical Appreciation'' (1956) *''Statsmakt och statsfinans i det medeltida Sverige: Studier over skattevasen och lansforvaltning'' (1984) *''Scandinavians: Selected historical essays'' (1977) *''Den stora rollen: Kung Gustaf III spelad av honom själv'' (1986) *''Tidens flykt: Stora historiska forandringar och manniskor som har levat i dem'' (1998)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lonnroth, Erik 1910 births 2002 deaths Members of the Swedish Academy 20th-century Swedish historians University of Gothenburg alumni University of Gothenburg faculty Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences