HISTORIAN

Henry James Sumner Maine

1822 - 1888

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Sir Henry James Sumner Maine, (15 August 1822 – 3 February 1888), was a British Whig comparative jurist and historian. He is famous for the thesis outlined in his book Ancient Law that law and society developed "from status to contract." According to the thesis, in the ancient world individuals were tightly bound by status dealing with(in) a particular group while in the modern one, in which individuals are viewed as autonomous agents, they are free to make contracts and form associations with whomever they choose. Because of this thesis, Maine can be seen as one of the forefathers of modern legal anthropology, legal history and sociology of law. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Henry James Sumner Maine is the 433rd most popular historian (up from 486th in 2019), the 3,975th most popular biography from United Kingdom (up from 4,284th in 2019) and the 41st most popular British Historian.

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Among HISTORIANS

Among historians, Henry James Sumner Maine ranks 433 out of 561. Before him are Stephen E. Ambrose, Ilya Berezin, Albrecht Weber, Martin van Creveld, Daniel J. Boorstin, and Charles A. Beard. After him are Zdeněk Nejedlý, Abu Shama, Edward Duyker, Cyril Mango, G. M. Trevelyan, and Heinrich Ewald.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1822, Henry James Sumner Maine ranks 75. Before him are Julius von Haast, Peter Michal Bohúň, Thrasyvoulos Zaimis, Apollonie Sabatier, Hannibal Goodwin, and Menyhért Lónyay. After him are Gardiner Greene Hubbard, István Bittó, Lev Mei, Jorge Córdova, Jan Kappeyne van de Coppello, and Frances Power Cobbe. Among people deceased in 1888, Henry James Sumner Maine ranks 75. Before him are Barghash bin Said of Zanzibar, Carl Gustav Axel Harnack, Jules d'Anethan, Alessandro Antonelli, Amos Bronson Alcott, and Arsène Darmesteter. After him are Yuriy Fedkovych, Jan van Beers, George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan, Kanō Hōgai, Morrison Waite, and Richard A. Proctor.

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, Henry James Sumner Maine ranks 3,976 out of 8,785. Before him are Charles P. Dixon (1873), Harry Maguire (1993), John Derbyshire (1878), Robert Hugh Benson (1871), Marc Almond (1957), and Nick Land (1962). After him are Richard Bentley (1662), E. T. Whittaker (1873), William Hemsley (1843), Ivor Bueb (1923), Jim Marshall (1923), and Richard Attwood (1940).

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Among HISTORIANS In United Kingdom

Among historians born in United Kingdom, Henry James Sumner Maine ranks 41. Before him are Edward Granville Browne (1862), Hugh Trevor-Roper (1914), John Keegan (1934), George Finlay (1799), Francis Godwin (1562), and Catharine Macaulay (1731). After him are G. M. Trevelyan (1876), Arthur Smith Woodward (1864), Donald Nicol (1923), Martin Gilbert (1936), Lawrence Stone (1919), and David Marshall Lang (1924).

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