Was history taught at universities before von Ranke? I was taught that history as an academic discipline began with him, yet I recall once reading a mention in passing of a history professor in 18th-c. Scotland (whose name sadly escapes me). What's the deal here?

by JJVMT

itsallfolklore

Friedrich Karl von Savigny (1779-1861) taught history to Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859) Grimm a generation before von Ranke (1795-1886). So yes, history was taught at universities before von Ranke. What von Ranke did was to elevate it into a methodology that dominated the field for a century afterwards.