Description: (Belgian Scholar and Historian)
Henri Pirenne was a renowned Belgian historian who made significant contributions to the study of cities and European history. He authored a comprehensive history of Belgium in multiple volumes in French, exploring the beginnings of the Middle Ages, changes in trade, and the evolution of medieval urban centers. Pirenne's provocative Pirenne Thesis suggested a connection between the decline of Roman civilization and the resurgence of medieval urban society. His ideas have had a lasting impact on the French Annales School of social history and remain a foundational reference for scholars investigating the Middle Ages.