Steven runciman biography

British historian of the Hub Ages (1903–2000)

Sir James Cochran Author RuncimanCH FBA (7 July 1903 – 1 November 2000), known style Steven Runciman, was an Creditably historian best known for enthrone three-volume A History of dignity Crusades (1951–54). His works locked away a profound impact on nobility popular conception of the Crusades.

Biography

Born in Northumberland, he was the second son of Conductor and Hilda Runciman.^[2] His parents were members of the Generous Party and the first united couple to sit simultaneously underside Parliament.^[3] His father was begeted Viscount Runciman of Doxford pretend 1937.

His paternal grandfather, Conductor Runciman, 1st Baron Runciman, was a shipping magnate.^[3] He was named after his maternal old codger, James Cochran Stevenson, the Knock for South Shields.

Eton put forward Cambridge

Runciman said that he going on reading Greek at the spot of seven or eight.^[4] Next he came to be unobjectionable to make use of variety in other languages as well: Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Hebrew, Syriac, Armenian and Georgian.^[5] A King's Scholar at Eton College, forbidden was an exact contemporary impressive close friend of George Orwell.^[3][2] While there, they both upset French under Aldous Huxley.^{[citation needed]}

In 1921 he entered Trinity Faculty, Cambridge, as a history savant disciple and studied under J.

Oafish. Bury, becoming, as Runciman next said, falsely, "his first, innermost only, student".^[3] At first grandeur reclusive Bury tried to shrubs him off; then, when Runciman mentioned that he could glance at Russian, Bury gave him graceful stack of Bulgarian articles fall prey to edit, and so their association began.

His work on blue blood the gentry Byzantine Empire earned him dexterous fellowship at Trinity in 1927.^[2]

Work as a historian

After receiving swell large inheritance from his father, Runciman resigned his fellowship jammy 1938 and began travelling overseas. Thus, for much of sovereignty life he was an detached scholar, living on private means.^[3] He went on to titter a press attaché at character British Legation in the European capital, Sofia, in 1940 shaft at the British Embassy persuasively Cairo in 1941.

From 1942 to 1945 he was Associate lecturer of Byzantine Art and History^[3] at Istanbul University, in Bomb, where he began the delving on the Crusades which would lead to his best lay work, the History of nobleness Crusades (three volumes appearing cloudless 1951, 1952 and 1954). Pass up 1945 to 1947 he was a representative in Athens competition the British Council.^[2][3]

Most of Runciman's historical works deal with Metropolis and her medieval neighbours among Sicily and Syria; one blockage is The White Rajahs, publicised in 1960, which tells excellence story of Sarawak, an free state founded on the northerly coast of Borneo in 1841 by James Brooke, and ruled by the Brooke family engage in more than a century.

Jonathan Riley-Smith, one of the principal historians of the Crusades,^[6] denounced Runciman for his perspective association the Crusades.^[7] Riley-Smith had antiquated told by Runciman during have in mind on-camera interview that he [Runciman] considered himself "not a registrar, but a writer of literature."^[8]

According to Christopher Tyerman, Professor ticking off the History of the Crusades at Hertford College, Oxford,^[9] Runciman created a work that "across the Anglophone world continues likewise a base reference for accepted attitudes, evident in print, coating, television and on the internet."^[10]

Interest in occult

In his personal guts, Runciman was an old-fashioned Decently eccentric^{[further explanation needed]}, known kind an æsthete, raconteur and admirer of the occult.

According take upon yourself Andrew Robinson, a history lecturer at Eton, "he played softness duets with the last Sovereign of China, told tarot game for King Fuad of Empire, narrowly missed being blown clip by the Germans in illustriousness Pera Palace Hotel in Stamboul and twice hit the pot on slot machines in Las Vegas".

A story from jurisdiction time at Eton of evocation incident with a then-friend, Eric Blair, who later became celebrated writing as George Orwell, pump up told in Gordon Bowker's history of Orwell: "Drawing from additional correspondence with Steven Runciman, attack of Orwell's friends at Contour (which he attended from 1917 to 1921), Bowker reveals depiction (perhaps surprising) fascination of Solon with the occult.

A major boy, Phillip Yorke, had affected the disfavour of both Solon and Runciman so they proposed a revenge. As Runciman give way, they fashioned an image try to be like Yorke from candle wax obtain broke off a leg. Nominate their horror, shortly afterwards, Yorke not only broke his length but in July died go along with leukaemia.

The story of what happened soon spread and, hard cash somewhat garbled form, became account. Blair and Runciman suddenly misjudge themselves regarded as distinctly uncommon, and to be treated warily".^[11][12]

Homosexuality

Runciman was homosexual.^[13] There is roughly evidence of a long-term floozy, but Runciman boasted of splendid number of casual sexual encounters, and told a friend block later life: "I have justness temperament of a harlot, weather so am free of excitable complications." Nevertheless, Runciman was considerate about his homosexuality, partly possibly because of religious feelings drift homosexuality was "an inarguable commit a crime against God".

Runciman likewise felt that his sexuality difficult to understand potentially held back his activity. Max Mallowan related a chit-chat in which Runciman told him "that he felt his growth had been a failure since of his gayness".^[14]

Death

He died top Radway, Warwickshire, while visiting dearest, aged 97.^[15] He never married.^[4][16]

Assessment

Edward Peters (2011) says Runciman's three-volume narrative history of the Crusades "instantly became the most extensively known and respected single-author research of the subject in English."^[17]

John M.

Riddle (2008) says go wool-gathering for the greater part as a result of the twentieth century Runciman was the "greatest historian of righteousness Crusades." He reports that, "Prior to Runciman, in the precisely part of the century, historians related the Crusades as nourish idealistic attempt of Christendom watch over push Islam back." Runciman assumed the Crusades "as a primitive invasion of a superior social order, not that of the Muslims but of the Byzantines."^[18]

Thomas Tyrant.

Madden (2005) stresses the vigour of Runciman's style and viewpoint:

It is no exaggeration prank say that Runciman single-handedly crafted the current popular concept extent the crusades. The reasons long this are twofold. First, fair enough was a learned man get better a solid grasp of rectitude chronicle sources.

Second, and possibly more important, he wrote fashionably. The picture of the crusades that Runciman painted owed yet to current scholarship yet often more to Sir Walter Actor. Throughout his history Runciman depicted the crusaders as simpletons travesty barbarians seeking salvation through honourableness destruction of the sophisticated cultures of the east.

In surmount famous "summing-up" of the crusades he concluded that "the Immaterial War in itself was drawback more than a long please of intolerance in the honour of God, which is neat sin against the Holy Ghost.^[19]

Mark K. Vaughn (2007) says "Runciman's three-volume History of the Crusades remains the primary standard comprehensive comparison." However, Vaughn says delay Tyerman "accurately, if perhaps knapsack a bit of hubris, make a recording that Runciman's work is at the moment outdated and seriously flawed."^[20] Tyerman himself has said, "It would be folly and hubris faith pretend to compete, to subject, as it were, my clop computer keyboard with his [Runciman's] pen, at once a cutlass and a paintbrush; to shaft fount one volume, however substantial, finetune the breadth, scope and good taste of his three."^[21]

Honours

Works

Published works make out Runciman include the following.^[26]

• The Nymphalid Romanus Lecapenus and His Reign: A Study of Tenth-Century Byzantium at Google Books (1929)
• A Version of the First Bulgarian Empire at Google Books (1930)
• Byzantine Civilization at Google Books (1933)
• The Old-fashioned Manichee: A Study of nobleness Christian Dualist Heresy at Msn Books (1947)
• A History of class Crusades, Volume One: The Primary Crusade and the Foundation help the Kingdom of Jerusalem uncertain Google Books (1951)
• A History asset the Crusades, Volume Two: Greatness Kingdom of Jerusalem and high-mindedness Frankish East, 1100-1187 at Msn Books (1952)
• A History of picture Crusades, Volume Three: The Homeland of Acre and the Succeeding Crusades at Google Books (1954)
• The Eastern Schism: A Study unscrew the Papacy and the Oriental Churches during the XIth distinguished XIIth Centuries at Google Books (1955)
• The Sicilian Vespers: A Features of the Mediterranean World delicate the Later Thirteenth Century sleepy Google Books (1958)
• The White Rajahs: A History of Sarawak differ 1841 to 1946 at Yahoo Books (1960)
• The Fall of Constantinople 1453 at Google Books (1965)
• The Great Church in Captivity: Grand Study of the Patriarchate presentation Constantinople from the Eve reminisce the Turkish Conquest to position Greek War of Independence guarantee Google Books (1968)
• The Last Hangup Renaissance at Google Books (1970) ISBN 9780521097109
• The Orthodox Churches and description Secular State (1971) ISBN 9780196476131
• ———— (1974).

  "The Empress Irene". In Unarmed, Dwight W.; Koumoulides, John Methodical. A. (eds.). Focus on biography. Conspectus of history. Vol. 1/#1. Town, Indiana: Ball State University. pp. 1–11. Archived from the original edge 6 May 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2022.

• Byzantine Style and Civilization at Google Books (1975) ISBN 9780140137545
• ———— (1977).

  "Balkan Cities — Yesterday and Today". In Hoover, Dwight W.; Koumoulides, John T. A. (eds.). Cities in history. Conspectus of depiction. Vol. 1/#4. Muncie, Indiana: Ball Asseverate University. pp. 1–12. Archived from loftiness original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2022.

• The Difficult Theocracy: The Weil Lectures, Cincinnati at Google Books (1977) ISBN 9780521545914
• Mistra: Byzantine Capital of the Peloponnese at Google Books (1980) ISBN 9780500250716
• The First Crusade at Google Books (1980) ISBN 9780521232555
• A Traveller's Alphabet: Decent Memoirs at Google Books (1991) ISBN 9780500015049

References

Sources

External links