Historians from Germany

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Germans Historians of all time. This list of famous Germans Historians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Germans Historians.

1. #1

   

   Johann Joachim Winckelmann

   1717 - 1768

   HPI 75.9148 langs

   Johann Joachim Winckelmann was a German art historian and archaeologist who is most famous for his writings on ancient Greek art.

2. #2

   

   Leopold von Ranke

   1795 - 1886

   HPI 75.5157 langs

   Leopold von Ranke was a German historian who is most famous for his research and writing on the history of the Roman Catholic Church.

3. #3

   

   Friedrich Carl von Savigny

   1779 - 1861

   HPI 73.1840 langs

   Friedrich Carl von Savigny is most famous for his work in the field of Roman law. He is considered one of the founders of the historical...Read moreShow less

   Friedrich Carl von Savigny is most famous for his work in the field of Roman law. He is considered one of the founders of the historical school of law.

4. #4

   

   Adam of Bremen

   1100 - 1080

   HPI 72.9148 langs

   Adam of Bremen was a German historian and archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. He is most famous for his work "Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae...Read moreShow less

   Adam of Bremen was a German historian and archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. He is most famous for his work "Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum" (Deeds of the Bishops of the Hamburg Church) which he completed in 1075. The work is a history of the Hamburg-Bremen Archbishopric, and includes a history of the Northern Crusades.

5. #5

   

   Erwin Panofsky

   1892 - 1968

   HPI 72.2943 langs

   Erwin Panofsky is most famous for his work in the field of art history. He was a German-born American art historian and an expert on...Read moreShow less

   Erwin Panofsky is most famous for his work in the field of art history. He was a German-born American art historian and an expert on medieval and Renaissance art.

6. #6

   

   Samuel von Pufendorf

   1632 - 1694

   HPI 71.4934 langs

   Samuel von Pufendorf was a German philosopher and jurist. He is most famous for his book, "The Law of Nature and Nations," which was the...Read moreShow less

   Samuel von Pufendorf was a German philosopher and jurist. He is most famous for his book, "The Law of Nature and Nations," which was the first work to systematically explore the law of nations.

7. #7

   

   Aby Warburg

   1866 - 1929

   HPI 71.0133 langs

   Abraham Warburg is most famous for his work on the history of art. He was a German art historian and a member of the Warburg family.

8. #8

   

   Julius Wellhausen

   1844 - 1918

   HPI 67.9334 langs

   Julius Wellhausen is most famous for his documentary hypothesis, which argues that the Pentateuch was written by four different authors, and...Read moreShow less

   Julius Wellhausen is most famous for his documentary hypothesis, which argues that the Pentateuch was written by four different authors, and that the first five books of the Old Testament were written by a single author.

9. #9

   

   Erich Auerbach

   1892 - 1957

   HPI 67.3234 langs

   Erich Auerbach is most famous for his book Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature.

10. #10

    

    Hermann Alexander Diels

    1848 - 1922

    HPI 66.9028 langs