Jacques Le Goff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jacques Le Goff
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| Born | 1 January 1924 Toulon, France |
| Died | 1 April 2014 (aged 90) Paris, France |
| Occupation | Historian, medievalist |
| Nationality | French |
| Alma mater | École Normale Supérieure |
| Genre | Historian |
Jacques Le Goff (born January 1, 1924 – died April 1, 2014) was a French historian. He wrote many books about the Middle Ages, especially the 12th and 13th centuries.
Le Goff was a big supporter of the Annales School. This way of studying history looked at big, long-term changes. It focused less on wars or political events. From 1972 to 1977, he was the leader of a famous school in Paris. It was called the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS). He was a key person in a new way of studying history called "New History." This type of history focused on culture. Le Goff believed the Middle Ages was a unique time. He said it was different from both ancient times and the modern world.
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Life and Work
Jacques Le Goff was a very famous historian of the Middle Ages. Many people saw him as the main person to continue the ideas of the Annales School. This school was started by his teacher, Marc Bloch. Le Goff became the head of the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) in 1972. He took over from Fernand Braudel. Later, François Furet took over from him in 1977. In the 1970s, Le Goff was a leading figure of "New History," along with Pierre Nora.
Studying the Middle Ages
Le Goff spent his time studying the history of Western Europe during the Middle Ages. He was known for questioning the name "Middle Ages" itself. He also questioned how long this period lasted. He showed the great things that happened during this time. He also pointed out the different changes within it. For example, he brought attention to the Renaissance of the 12th century. This was a time of great learning and art.
The Birth of Purgatory
In his 1984 book, The Birth of Purgatory, Le Goff wrote about purgatory. He said that the idea of purgatory as a real place began in the 12th century. This was when many stories about journeys to the afterlife were popular. One example is the Irish story Visio Tnugdali. There were also many tales from pilgrims about St Patrick's Purgatory. This was a cave in Ireland believed to be an entrance to purgatory.
A historian named Alexander Lee said that Le Goff used popular stories. He used them to find out how important religious ideas started in the Middle Ages. This way of studying history was part of the Annales tradition. But it also pushed the boundaries of how historians could study the past.
His View of History
Le Goff was an agnostic. This means he wasn't sure if God existed. He took a balanced view of the Middle Ages. He was not overly critical, nor did he praise it too much.
Among his many books, he wrote two popular biographies. Biographies are life stories of people. His school of history usually did not focus on biographies. He wrote about Louis IX, who was the only French king to become a saint. He also wrote about Saint Francis of Assisi, a famous Italian friar.
Awards and Recognition
Jacques Le Goff received many honors and awards for his work.
Honors
- Commander of the Legion of Honour.
- Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Awards
- Dan David Prize Award (2007)
- Heineken Prizes (2004)
- CNRS Gold Medal (1991)
- Grand Prix national d’Histoire (France, 1987)
- Prix Tevere (Rome, Italy)
- Award of Fondation de France
Memberships
- Member of the Academia Europaea
- Member of the Polish Academy of Sciences
- Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters
- Member of the Medieval Academy of America
Honorary Degrees
He also received special degrees from many universities around the world, including:
- Université catholique de Louvain
- Sapienza University of Rome
- University of Pavia
- Università degli Studi di Parma
- University of Warsaw
- University of Bucharest
- Eötvös Loránd University
- Babeș-Bolyai University
- Jagiellonian University
- Charles University
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem
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