Knowra Universal history Universal history Universal history is historical writing that seeks to encompass the past of many peoples or the world as a whole. It connects separate societies within a shared account of human history.
Augustine of Hippo : A Christian theologian whose writings shaped Western thought about history, time, and salvation. His City of God organized human history around a universal Christian narrative.
Historiography : The study of how history is written, interpreted, and revised. Universal history is a form of historical writing with distinctive choices of scope and synthesis.
The City of God : Augustine’s theological work contrasting the earthly city with the city of God. It presents a landmark Christian interpretation of the history of humanity and empire.
National history : Historical writing centered on the past of a nation and its people. Its political and cultural boundaries are narrower than universal history’s intended scope.
Philosophy of history : The philosophical study of history’s meaning, structure, knowledge, and possible direction. Universal history often turns historical synthesis into claims about history’s overall meaning.
Sima Qian : A Chinese historian of the Han dynasty who wrote Records of the Grand Historian. His work assembled rulers, states, and institutions into an expansive historical account.
World history : The study of connections and comparisons among societies across the world. It supplies a modern comparative approach to histories beyond a single people or region.
Records of the Grand Historian : Sima Qian’s history of China’s rulers, states, institutions, and notable people. Its broad structure shows how a universalizing historical project can center one civilization.
Church history : Historical writing focused on the origins and development of Christian institutions and communities. It shares universal history’s religious concerns but narrows its subject to Christianity.
Enlightenment : An intellectual movement that emphasized reason, criticism, and reform in eighteenth-century Europe. Enlightenment thinkers used broad histories to argue about human progress and civilization.
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