 Maurice Henri Léonard Pirenne

Maurice Henri Léonard Pirenne (1862–1935) was a Belgian historian best known for his work on economic and social history, particularly in the context of medieval Europe. He is particularly famous for his thesis that the decline of the Roman Empire and the ensuing Middle Ages were characterized not merely by the fall of cities and the decline of trade, but rather by a transforming interplay of economic and cultural factors.