Lavisse, Ernest [key], 1842–1922, French historian. He was for many years a professor at the Sorbonne. His early works deal chiefly with the history of Prussia, particularly Frederick the Great. His chief fame rests, however, on his brilliant editorship of several large collectively written works. With Alfred Rambaud he edited Histoire générale du 4e siècle à nos jours (12 vol., 1893–1901). Alone, he edited Histoire de France depuis les origines jusqu'à la révolution (9 vol. in 18, 1900–1911, repr. 1969) and Histoire de France contemporaine (10 vol., 1920–22). Some of the best volumes in all three collections are by Lavisse himself; among his distinguished collaborators were Aulard, Luchaire, Pirenne, and Seignobos. The volumes are a synthesis of political, cultural, economic, and social history, and they remain a model for similar undertakings.
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