How did Jacob Burckhardt’s knowledge of Italian support his historical research?

Jacob Burckhardt’s knowledge of the Italian language was a fundamental tool that enabled his deep engagement with primary source materials for his historical research. By learning Italian, Burckhardt was able to access and analyze contemporary chronicles and tales that were often overlooked by other historians.12

These primary sources were essential to his methodology in The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy (1860), where he applied newly conceived questions to these texts to analyze the daily life, political climate, and intellectual landscape of the period. Furthermore, his linguistic ability facilitated his extensive travels throughout Italy, allowing him to gain firsthand familiarity with the country's historical sites and art treasures, which were central to his work as a historian of art and culture.21