How did Leopold von Ranke connect historical events with a divine plan?

Leopold von Ranke viewed history as a "holy hieroglyph," deeply convinced that it represented the unfolding of a divine plan. Influenced by his religious upbringing and the philosophy of Friedrich Schelling, he sought to comprehend God’s actions within the context of great historical events.12

Ranke’s interpretation of this divine plan was uniquely tied to the existence and development of modern European nation-states. He famously described these states as "thoughts of God," believing that each nation incarnated a specific cultural principle or idea. By studying the inner workings of these states and their relationships with one another, Ranke believed a historian could discern at least intimations of the divine order.13

While he is often associated with the positivist pursuit of showing history "as it actually was" (wie es eigentlich gewesen), this rigorous focus on facts was driven by his conviction that the divine was revealed through the continuity of historical reality. For Ranke, the historian’s duty was to understand this continuity, as the evolution of independent states and their unique institutions served as the primary evidence of the divine process in human history.13