View source for Martin Sharp (historian)

{{Short description|English historian (1843–1910)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
[[File:Martin Andrew Sharp Hume (1847–1910).png|thumb|Martin Sharp, {{c.}}1907]]
'''Martin Andrew Sharp Hume''' (8 December 1843{{sfn|Murphy|2004}} – 1 July 1910), born '''Martin Andrew Sharp''', was an [[English people|English]] historian, long a resident in [[Spain]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Hume, Major Martin Andrew Sharp|magazine=Who's Who|year=1907|volume= 59|page=894|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yEcuAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA894}}</ref>

==Background and early life==
Martin Andrew Sharp was born in [[London]] on 8 December 1843. He was second son of William Lacy Sharp, of the [[East India Company]]'s service, who married Louisa Charlotte Hume in 1840. He was educated at a private school at [[Forest Gate]], he had some practical training in business, and began early to learn Spanish. A branch of his mother's family had settled at Madrid towards the end of the eighteenth century.{{sfn|Fitzmaurice-Kelly|1912}}

==Career==
In 1860, Sharp paid his Spanish kinsfolk a first visit, which had a decisive influence on his career. His relatives received him with affectionate cordiality. Though he declined their invitation to make his home with them, he visited them annually for long periods, perfected his knowledge of Spanish, witnessed the [[Glorious Revolution (Spain)|revolution of 1868]], and became acquainted with the chief organisers of the movement. The last of the Spanish Humes, a lady advanced in years, died in 1876, bequeathing her property to Martin Sharp, and in August 1877, in compliance with her wish, he assumed the name of Hume. He was now independent. A keen volunteer officer, he was attached to the Turkish forces during the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–78)|Russo-Turkish War]] of 1877–78; he then spent some time in exploration on the west coast of Africa, and travelled extensively in Central and South America.{{sfn|Fitzmaurice-Kelly|1912}}

Until 1882 Hume's sympathies had been vaguely conservative. His views then changed, and during the next eleven years he actively engaged in English political conflict. He stood unsuccessfully as a liberal candidate at [[Maidstone (UK Parliament constituency)|Maidstone]] in 1885, at [[Hackney Central (UK Parliament constituency)|Central Hackney]] in 1886, and at [[Stockport (UK Parliament constituency)|Stockport]] in 1892 and 1893.{{sfn|Fitzmaurice-Kelly|1912}}

After some practice in journalism, he meanwhile produced his first book, a ''Chronicle of King Henry VIII of England'' (1889), a translation from the Spanish. Though this attracted little attention, Hume persevered, and ''The Courtships of Queen Elizabeth; a History of the Various Negotiations for her Marriage,'' and ''The Year after the Armada, and other Historical Studies,'' both issued in 1896, were received with a degree of popular favour which led him to adopt authorship as a profession. In 1897, he published ''Sir Walter Ralegh'' and ''Philip II of Spain,'' the latter monograph showing insight and independence of view.{{sfn|Fitzmaurice-Kelly|1912}}

Next year Hume succeeded [[Pascual de Gayangos]] at the [[Public Record Office]] as editor of the ''Spanish State Papers,'' and did sound work in this capacity. However, his official duties did not absorb all his energies. In 1898, he published ''The Great Lord Burghley,'' a readable study, and ''Spain, its Greatness and Decay, 1479–1789,'' a useful historical outline, which he completed in the following year by the publication of ''Modern Spain, 1788–1898'' (1899 ; new edit. 1906).{{sfn|Fitzmaurice-Kelly|1912}}

He was appointed Commander of the [[Order of Isabella the Catholic]] by King [[Alfonso XIII]] in 1902.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27512 |date=2 January 1903 |page=2 }}</ref>

Hume never married. He died on 1 July 1910, at his sister's house at [[Forest Gate]].{{sfn|Fitzmaurice-Kelly|1912}}

==Works==
His principal works were:  
* ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=9NQCAAAAYAAJ The Year After the Armada: And Other Historical Studies]'' (1896)
* ''The Courtships of Queen Elizabeth'' (1896; revised edition, 1904)
* ''[http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/007707592 Philip II of Spain]'' (1897)
* ''[https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009610665 Sir Walter Ralegh: the British dominion of the West]'' (1897)
* ''[http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56119 The Great Lord Burghley]'' (1898) 
* ''[http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006085935 Spain: Its Greatness and Decay, 1479&ndash;1789]'' (1898; revised by Armstrong, 1913)  
* ''[http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001236852 Modern Spain, 1788–1898]'' (1899; new edition, 1906)  
* ''[http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/002209845 The Spanish People]'' (1901)  
* ''[http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/011596146 The Love Affairs of Mary Queen of Scots]'' (1903)  
* ''[http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001245805 Spanish Influence on English Literature]'' (1905)  
* ''[http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/006547763 Queens of Old Spain]'' (1907)  
* ''[http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001858866 The Court of Philip IV: Spain in Decadence]'' (1907)  
* ''Through Portugal'' (1907)  
* ''[http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000312370 Two English Queens and Philip]'' (1908)  
* ''Queen Elizabeth and her England'' (1910)  
* ''[http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009998664 True Stories of the Past]'' (1910, published [[posthumous work|posthumous]]ly)

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{DNB12|wstitle=Hume, Martin Andrew Sharp|first=James |last=Fitzmaurice-Kelly}}
* {{cite NIE|title=Hume, Martin Andrew Sharp|volume=X|page=310|url=https://archive.org/stream/newinternational10gilm#page/310/mode/2up}} at [[Internet Archive]]
* {{ODNBweb |first=G. Martin |last=Murphy |title=Hume, Martin Andrew Sharp (1843–1910) |year=2004 |edition=online |id=34050 }}

==External links==
* {{Gutenberg author | id=9628}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Martin Andrew Sharp}}
* {{Librivox author |id=16156}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp, Martin}}
[[Category:19th-century English historians]]
[[Category:1843 births]]
[[Category:1910 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English historians]]
[[Category:English expatriates in Spain]]
[[Category:Historians from London]]
[[Category:Historians of Spain]]
[[Category:Liberal Party (UK) politicians]]
[[Category:Royal biographers]]
[[Category:Tudor historians]]