2. Renaissance Period: Historical studies pursued as auxiliary to the interpretation of the classics.
3. Post-Renaissance Period in Europe.
(a) Heraldry and local, contemporary historical incidents and events taught in Ritterakedemien after 1648.
(b) In Germany, the systematic study of history in schools really dates from about 1806, though an independent status was given history in the universities (particularly in Göttingen) in the 18th century.
(c) In France, historical study was introduced by Guizot (about 1833) but received no great attention until after 1860, though there was nominally a chair of history in the Collège de France after 1769.
(d) In England, none but incidental attention was given historical study until after the middle of the 19th century, though there was a professorship of ancient history at Oxford in 1622, and professorships of modern history were found at both Oxford and Cambridge in 1724.
4. Historical Study in America.
(a) History was taught incidentally by professors of philosophy in most of the universities from their founding.
(b) Yale had a professorship of ecclesiastical history in 1778–1795.
(c) Harvard established the first professorship in history (in the general sense of the term) in 1839, Jared Sparks being the first incumbent.