Johan Huizinga

Johan Huizinga studied at University of Groningen and Leiden University. The recorded working language is Dutch and German. The field of work recorded is medieval history, historical linguistics and history. Georg Simmel is recorded as an influence. Places of work recorded in the authority are Groningen and Leiden. Employment is recorded with University of Groningen and Leiden University. Positions recorded include rector magnificus of Leiden University. Works named in the authority record are The Autumn of the Middle Ages and Homo Ludens. Work by Johan Huizinga is recorded in the collections of National Museum of World Cultures and Museum De Scheper. Distinctions recorded are D.A.

• Name — Johan Huizinga • Born — 7 December 1872 • Birthplace — Groningen, Netherlands • Died — 1 February 1945 • Place of death — De Steeg, Netherlands • Occupation — Historian, professor, writer • Notable Works — * The Autumn of the Middle Ages (1919) • Homo Ludens (1938) • Dutch Civilisation in the Seventeenth Century (1941) • Workplaces — Groningen University (1905–1923) Leiden University (1915–1942) • Influences — Jacob Burckhardt • Discipline — History

• Illustration — Huizinga (right) with the ethnographer A.W. Nieuwenhuis, Leiden (1917) • Illustration — Huizinga plaque at Leiden University Born in Groningen as the son of Dirk Huizinga, a professor of physiology, and Jacoba Tonkens, who died two years after his birth, he started out as a student of Indo-European languages, earning his degree in 1895. He then studied comparative linguistics, gaining a good command of Sanskrit. He wrote his doctoral thesis on the role of the jester in Indian drama in 1897. In 1902 his interest turned towards medieval and Renaissance history. He continued teaching as an Orientalist until he became a Professor of General and Dutch History at Groningen University in 1905. In 1915, he was made Professor of General History at Leiden University, a post he held until 1942. In 1916 he became member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1942, he spoke critically of his country's German occupiers, comments that were consistent with his writings about Fascism in the 1930s. He was held in detention by the Nazis between August and October 1942. Upon his release, he was banned from returning to Leiden. He subsequently lived at the house of his colleague Rudolph Cleveringa in De Steeg in Gelderland, near Arnhem, where he died just a few weeks before Nazi rule ended. He lies buried in the graveyard of the Reformed Church at 6 Haarlemmerstraatweg in Oegstgeest.

Huizinga had an aesthetic approach to history, where art and spectacle played an important part. His most famous work is The Autumn of the Middle Ages (also released as The Waning of the Middle Ages or Autumntide of the Middle Ages) (1919). Other works include Erasmus (1924) and Homo Ludens (1938). In the latter book he discussed the possibility that play is the primary formative element in human culture. Huizinga also published books on American history and Dutch history in the 17th century. Alarmed by the rise of National Socialism in Germany, Huizinga wrote several works of cultural criticism. Many similarities can be noted between his analysis and that of contemporary critics such as Ortega y Gasset and Oswald Spengler. Huizinga argued that the spirit of technical and mechanical organisation had replaced spontaneous and organic order in cultural as well as political life. The Huizinga Lecture (Dutch: Huizingalezing) is a prestigious annual lecture in the Netherlands about a subject in the domains of cultural history or philosophy in honour of Johan Huizinga. Johan Huizinga’s archive and papers are held by Leiden University Libraries’ Special Collections and also available in its Digital Collections. A complete inventory has been published.

Huizinga's son Leonhard Huizinga became a writer, including his series of tongue-in-cheek novels on the Dutch aristocratic twins Adrian and Oliver ("Adriaan en Olivier").

The authorities additionally record the headings J. Huizinga, Huizinga, Professor Dr. Huizinga and Johan Huizing. His recorded languages were Dutch and German. His recorded confession was Mennonite Church in the Netherlands. He was the child of Dirk Huizinga. 2 children are recorded: Leonhard Huizinga and Jakob Herman Huizinga.

Johan Huizinga worked in medieval history, historical linguistics, history, cultural history and art history. He was employed by University of Groningen and Leiden University. Recorded position is rector magnificus of Leiden University. He belonged to Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Koninklijke Academie voor Nederlandse Taal- en Letterkunde and Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie van België voor Wetenschappen en Kunsten. He worked at Groningen and Leiden. Recorded as historian, university teacher, resistance fighter, linguist and philosopher.