Roger Bigelow Merriman (May 24, 1876 – September 7, 1945) was an American historian and a practitioner of scientific

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...

developed by German historians. He is known especially for his multivolume history of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

.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'', 54::32-48 (Oct. 1948).

Biography

R. B. Merriman was born in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

on May 24, 1876, the only child of Daniel Merriman, minister of the Central Congregational Church in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

, and the artist and art collector Helen Bigelow Merriman."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 university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

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, finishing with a B.Litt degree. He obtained his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1902 and that same year published his biography of

Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; – 28 July 1540) was an English statesman and lawyer who served as List of English chief ministers, chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false cha ...

, 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. 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. In 1925-36, he was a visiting professor at the Sorbonne in France. He received a number of honorary doctorates. The course he taught on the

gave the impetus for his research and voluminous publication on the topic. His four-volume work ''The Rise of the Spanish Empire in the Old World and the New'' (1918-1934) is recognized as a pioneering work in the field of Latin American history. 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 in the Old World and the New'' (4 vols., 1918–34) **Vol. I, ''The Middle Ages'' (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1918) **Vol. II, ''The Catholic Kings'' (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1918) **Vol. III, ''The Emperor'' (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1925) **Vol. IV, ''Philip the Prudent'' (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1934) *''Suleiman the Magnificent 1520-1566'' (Cambridge, Mass., 1944)

Personal life

Merriman married Dorothea Foote on June 2, 1904, and they had four children: Roger, Daniel, Dorothea, and Helen. He died at Saint Andrews, New Brunswick on September 7, 1945.

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 20th-century American male writers