This translation by Sarah Austin (1793-1867) of German historian Leopold von Ranke's work contributed significantly to early modern history and historiography. By some accounts 'the best living translator' of her time, Austin was a member of circles that included Jeremy Bentham and J. S. Mill. Ranke (1795-1886) worked for most of his life at the University of Berlin, writing several histories covering the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries. Austin's...