From 11 to 15 December 1972 a group of historians from many European countries assembled in Groningen to commemorate the centenary of Johan Huizinga's birth in that city on 7 December 1872. The conference was not intended simply as a tribute to the memory of a great historian but also as an attempt to assess the sig- nificance of his work for the present generation. It was supported by generous grants from the Stichting oud-studentenfonds van 1906 at Groningen, the Gro- ninger Universiteitsfonds, and the Ministry of Education and Science. We are pleased to be able to publish all the papers...