Boldt, Andreas Dieter

Dr. Andreas Dieter Boldt is a Tutor in the Department of History at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. He earned his Ph.D. in History from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

Clarissa Von Ranke Letters and the Ranke-Graves Correspondence 1843-1886

2012 0-7734-2617-5
The edition of the letters will fit into the growing interest in the Irish in Europe and it will provide new information on the role and influence of educated Irish women; it will also fill an important gap in the area of women’s history by presenting one of the most amazing women in international relationships and an extraordinary ambassador for Anglo-Irish culture in Germany: Clarissa von Ranke (1808-1871). Scholars will have access to eyewitness reports through Clarissa’s critical lens of events as diverse as the European Revolution of 1848/49, the wars of German Unification in 1864 and 1866 and the Franco-Prussian war of 1870/71. In her letters Clarissa discussed family matters, Ranke’s historical writing, and European affairs. She built up a social circle, known as the ‘Salon Ranke’ where Enlightenment thought met Romanticism. Although the salon was dominated by conservative thought, several ‘revolutionary’ opinions of that time were discussed: the position of women, the role of religion in a changing society, international cultural exchange and nation-building of different states. This salon was well-known for its musical parties, poetry classes, and discussions on literature (especially Shakespeare), politics and history. Clarissa also gave classes in various languages including French, Italian and English.

Life and Work of the German Historian Leopold Von Ranke (1795-1886): An Assessment of His Achievements

2015 1-4955-0271-6
This is the first work in English covering Ranke’s life, work and understanding of history. The book is a synthesis and will be an important volume for future historians and students. It examines over 35 different works and articles. Only by including all of these into the assessment of Ranke as an historian a different and much more complex picture of the historian and personality of Ranke will evolve.

The Role of Ireland in the Life of Leopold Von Ranke (1795-1886): The Historian and Historical Truth

2007 0-7734-5326-1
This book investigates Leopold von Ranke’s concept of objectivity by looking at his private life and how it influenced his historical writing, primarily in regards to his marriage, examining his treatment of Irish history as contrasted with his account of English history. His wedding to Clarissa Graves, an Irish woman, in 1843 not only changed his whole life, it also influenced the writing of his books. Hundreds of spontaneous letters of Clarissa to her relatives in England and Ireland contain details of contacts, meetings, information on documents that were copied in archives, descriptions of research trips, and meetings with statesmen which reveal how Ranke worked, collected his material, and eventually composed his books.