Munro began his scholarly pursuits studying for a degree at Brown University from which he graduated in 1887. From there he spent time studying in Germany where he first realized his fascination with the crusades.(1) Eventually, Munro began teaching at Princeton University where he became the first Dodge Professor of History and then from 1916-1928 chair of the History Department. He was actively involved with the American Historical Association serving as its president and the managing editor of the American Historical Review. When he died in 1933 he was serving as the chairman of the advisory board of the American Council of Learned Societies and as President of the Medieval Academy.
As a demonstration of his broader scholarly abilities, Munro published in a number of areas concerning the middle ages. Among his more influencial works are A History of the Middle Ages [1902], The Middle Ages and Modern Europe [1903], Medieval Civilization [1907], and The Middle Ages, 395-1272 [1921], He also edited important works including German War Practices [1917-1918] and Life of St. Columban by the Monk Jonas. His scholarship on the events leading up to Pope Urban II's calling of the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont, although dated, has continued relevance even today. These works include Dana Carleton Munro, "The Speech of Urban II at Clermont." American Historical Review 11 (1906), 231-40 and "Did the Emperor Alexius Ask for Aid at the Council of Piacenza 1095?" American Historical Review 27 (1922). A more extensive select bibliography is provided below.
His superior scholarship on the crusades was demonstrated in numerous journal articles and essays in the leading publications of his time, as well as a collection of essays by his former students titled The Crusades and Other Historical Essays Presented to Dana C. Munro by his Former Students [1928].(2) Even death did not prevent Munro influence on crusades scholarship as two years after his passing came the publication of a work by Munro titled The Kingdom of the Crusaders [1935]. According to Alexander Leitch, Munro died before finishing what would have been his "magnum opus- a history of the crusades based [on] an exhaustive and critical use of contemporary sources, and on field work in the Near East." (3)
Dana Carleton Munro's scholarly abilities seem to have extended to his son and brother. His son, Dana Gardner Munro, joined the Princeton history department in 1932 (4) and his brother was the highly respected Brown University historian and European History Chair Wilfred Harold Munro.
Dana Carleton Munro War and History American Historical Association Presidential Address in 1926
Dana Carleton Munro- A Princeton Companion
Wilfred Harold Munro- Columbia Encyclopedia
Speech at Clermont- Crusades-Encyclopedia
Dana Carleton Munro, [Excerpt from]The Middle Ages, 395-1272 (New York: The Century Company, 1921), pp. 242-255. Provided by Sam Houston State University.
1. See A Princeton Companion [Online] cited 08/21/2005 Entry on Dana Carleton Munro
2. Many of his students went on to become important and influencial historians of the time and taught in many important universities.
3. See A Princeton Companion [Online] cited 08/21/2005 Entry on Dana Carleton Munro
4. See A Princeton Companion [Online] cited 08/21/2005 Entry on The Department of History
(c) Andrew Holt, August 2005- Permission is granted for electronic copying and distribution in print for educational and personal reasons. No permission is granted for commercial use.