Herwig Wolfram


Herwig Wolfram is an Austrian historian. He is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Vienna, and the former Director of the :de:Institut für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung|Austrian Institute for Historical Research He is a leading member of the Vienna School of History. Wolfram is considered one of the foremost experts on the history of the Germanic tribes and his works on the Goths and the Germanic peoples are widely cited by historians across the globe.

Biography

Born in 1934 in Vienna, Herwig Wolfram remained intimately connected to the city of his birth. Between 1952–1957, he studied history and Latin at the University of Vienna, obtaining his doctorate there in 1957. Just two years later, in 1959, he was commissioned Assistant Professor at the Historical Institute of the University of Vienna. Then in 1966 he passed his Habilitation at the University of Vienna and in 1971 was tenured as a full professor there. The Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna named him as a member in 1976 and between 1981–1983, Professor Wolfram was the Dean of Humanities at the University of Vienna. He has been the author of numerous books, including the ten-volume acclaimed series on the history of Austria.

Theories

Wolfram a leading figure in the Vienna School of History. His book History of the Goths has been translated into a number of languages and been published in several completely revised editions. It is considered the standard work on the Goths, and a work of large importance to the study of Germanic peoples in general. In the more recent editions of this work, Wolfram has however come under criticism from a wide group of scholars, including Peter Heather, for his adoption of some of the controversial theories of Walter Goffart. Wolfram and Heather's books on the Goths are considered the foremost studies on the subject.

Honours and awards

Works in English translation. For a complete list see the