Lord Acton (John Emerich Edward Dalberg, 1st Baron Acton) (1834-1902) was a British historian and liberal philosopher. Of an English Roman Catholic family, Acton was born in Naples and educated in England and Germany, where he was taught German historical methods by his teacher, a liberal Roman Catholic scholar. In 1859 Acton became editor of the English Roman Catholic periodical The Rambler, but resigned in 1864, when the periodical's liberal views were condemned by church authorities. He also came into conflict with church policy when he opposed defining the doctrine of papal infallibility at the time of the First Vatican Council in 1870. In 1895, after many years of historical study, Acton was appointed Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge. His scholarly legacy consists principally of his university lectures, several of which were published after his death. Through his writings and lectures, Lord Acton substantially shaped modern ideas about liberty. Defending the authority of the individual, he believed that concentration of power was detrimental both in church and state.
The profound, inspiring and famous quotations included in this book were taken from the original sources.
The profound, inspiring and famous quotations included in this book were taken from the original sources.