Carel Hendrik Theodoor Bussemaker (Deventer, 5 January 1864 – Leiden, 6 September 1914) was a Dutch historian who held chairs in history at the University of Groningen and the University of Leiden.

Bussemaker was the son of the brewer Barend Barlagen Bussemaker (a friend of the Dutch translator of the works of William Shakespeare, Leendert Burgersdijk[1]) and Gertruda Bertha Gerarda Elisabeth Resius.

After his school years in his native city of Deventer he studied Dutch literature at the University of Leiden, where he achieved his master's degree in record time in 1886, despite being very active in extracurricular activities, especially in the Leiden Studentencorps (student association).

[3] After completing his studies in Leiden he embarked on a career as a teacher of Dutch literature and geography, first at a high school in Zaltbommel, and later at a high school in Haarlem.

[3] In 1888 he received his doctoral degree in history from the University of Leiden with a dissertation, written under the mentorship of Robert Fruin, entitled:"Geschiedenis van Overijsel gedurende het eerste stadhouderlooze tijdperk.

[3] When the Scientific Society Teylers Tweede Genootschap organized an essay contest in 1892,[Note 1] Bussemaker won the gold medal with his entry, entitled " De afscheiding der Waalsche gewesten van de Generale Unie" (The secession of the Walloon provinces from the General Union), which was in 1895-1896 published in two volumes under the same title.

This standard work made his reputation as a historian[4] and consequently he was appointed as the successor of Petrus Johannes Blok on the chair of history and political geography at the University of Groningen.

His inaugural oration there on the subject of historiography was entitled: "De behandeling der Algemeene Geschiedenis"(Treatment of General History;1895).

[3][5] In 1904 Bussemaker made a journey to Spain at the behest of prof. Blok with the object of studying local archives with respect to documents relevant to Dutch history.

He did not achieve the hoped for results, but he contracted a malady that may have contributed to his premature demise a few years later.

[3] When Pieter Lodewijk Muller died in 1905, Bussemaker succeeded him on the chair of General History at the University of Leiden.

His inaugural oration of 4 October 1905 was entitled "Over de waardeering der feiten in geschiedvorsching en geschiedschrijving" (On the evaluation of facts in historical research and historiography).

In this oration he fully expressed his ideas (that he had first tentatively formulated in a polemic with Blok about the nature of historiography at the occasion of the 1903 congress of the Dutch historical society about the education of historians) about what a historian actually can do in terms of banning subjectivity from the selection of what is "important" (Bussemaker doubted that this was possible, though he did not advocate "subjectivism") and avoiding "value judgments" (again Bussemaker doubted that this was possible).

He made fun of the idea that (as Blok advocated) the historian should accept "what was considered important in the historical era itself, without interposing his own judgment", because he doubted its practical feasibility.

In terms of the contemporary discussion in German historiography he rejected "positivism" (the emulation of the methods of the natural sciences) in the tradition of Leopold von Ranke (of whom Blok was an adept), but preferred the approach of Wilhelm Windelband and Heinrich Rickert.

[6] He soon became a member of the national commission for the examination of history teachers in secondary education (1904).

In 1909 he was appointed a member of the prestigious Advisory Commission for Publications in the History of the Empire, chaired by Herman Theodoor Colenbrander.

In 1913 he was made a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

[7] At the behest of the director of the Royal House Archive, Frederik Jan Louis Krämer, Bussemaker undertook the publication of "Archives ou correspondance inédite de la maison d'Orange-Nassau.

[8] He had a decided influence on Dutch historians Pieter Geyl and Jan Steffen Bartstra.

Geschiedenis van Overijsel gedurende het eerste stadhouderlooze tijd perk.

Joan Derck van de Capellen tot den Pol.

De republiek der Vereenigde Nederlanden in hare staatkundige betrekkingen gedurende de eerste jaren na den vrede van Utrecht (1713–21).

De arrestatie van Gyllenborg en Görtz in 1717 te Arnhem.

Verslag van een voorloopig onderzoek te Lissabon, Sevilla, Madrid, Escorial, Simancas en Brussel naar Archivalia belangrijk voor de geschiedenis van Nederland op last der regeering ingesteld.

Over de waardeering der feiten in geschiedvorsching en geschiedschrijving.

(Eerste gedeelte van de Afscheiding der Waalsche gewesten.

Medegedeeld uit de nalatenschap van Robert Fruin.

Archives ou Correspondence inédite de la Maison d'Orange-Nassau.

Bussemaker contributed to the Nieuw Biografisch Woordenboek (1911-1914) the following vitae: I. Joh.