Europe’s Academic Capital, 1200–1793

Researchers compile annual data on 'academic human capital' across European cities, present‑day countries, and historically coherent macro‑regions using the RETE prosopographic database. The series tracks shocks (Black Death, Thirty Years’ War), the rise of academies versus universities, regional inequality in the Holy Roman Empire, and the distinctiveness of the Scottish Enlightenment. — By measuring where and when intellectual capacity accumulated before the Industrial Revolution, this dataset lets scholars test claims about why Northern Europe pulled ahead and how wars and institutions shape knowledge production.