The Papacy as a great power Leopold von Ranke's view of history of the papacy and its influence on Ludwig von Pastor

Abstract

Research on the history of Christianity in the early modern peri- od usually focuses on the concept of confessionalization and its constructive criticism. Somewhat neglected is the reflection on the earlier concept of the his- tory of Christianity, or rather of the papacy, which was introduced in the 19th century by Leopold von Ranke and which was fundamental for the further deve- lopment of the view on this issue, as evidenced by the influence that Ranke's work had on Ludwig von Pastor, who is often seen as Ranke's Catholic counterpart.

This paper will focus on the interpretation of this view of Ranke's, primarily by reflec- ting on the preface to Ranke's most famous work. Beyond the notion of the papacy, this text undoubtedly bears witness to the time in which it was written.