Humanistic historiography

Humanistic historiography is a method of historical writing grounded in humanist principles, emphasizing critical judgment and the analysis of human motives rather than divine intervention. Developed by Florentine historians such as Leonardo Bruni and Francesco Petrarca, with Giovanni Villani's work as a precursor, it modeled itself on ancient Roman historians like Livy, Sallust, and Julius Caesar. This approach concentrated on dramatic political events—wars and revolutions—and centered the individual as the agent of action, often obscuring long-term structural factors. It also broke with Christian providential history, secularizing political problems and ignoring concepts like divine governance or the four world monarchies.