John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, I. Acton baroia, XIII. Groppoli markesa, Lord Acton bezala ezagunagoa (Napoli, 1834ko urtarrilaren 10a - Tegernsee, 1902ko ekainaren 19a) ingeles historialari, politikari eta idazle katolikoa izan zen.
John Acton almirante eta lehen ministro napolitarraren biloba izan zen. Katolizismoan hezi zen eta unibertsitate ikasketak egin zituen Munichen. 1859an Ingalaterrara joan eta Parlamentuan sartu zen. 1869an Viktoria erreginak Acton baroi titulua eman zion.
The Rambler egunkari katolikoaren editorea izan zen. 1895ean, historia modernoko irakasle izendatu zuten Cambridgeko Unibertsitatean.
Gai historikoei buruzko liburutegi handi bat bildu zuen, eta ikerketa historikoari ekin zion, askatasun soziopolitikoa aztertzeko tresna gisa. Eutopako foro intelektualetan denbora asko eman zuen, eta garaiko pertsonalitateekin korrespondentzia izan zuen. Ideologia liberalekoa, Irlandarako Home Rule babestu zuen. Estatu Batuetako sistema federala norbanakoen askatasunen bermetzat jo zuen, eta Estatu Batuetako Gerra Zibilean Konfederazioaren alde egin zuen, estatuen eskubideak defendatzeagatik
1887an bere esaldirik ezagunena idatzi zion gotzain anglikano bati gutun batean.
"Botereak usteltzeko joera du, eta botere absolutuak erabat usteltzen du. Gizon handiak ia beti gizon gaiztoak dira..."
- The Civil War in America: Its Place in History (lecture; 1866).
- The Rise and Fall of the Mexican Empire (lecture; 1868).
- Letters from Rome on the Council (1870).
- The War of 1870 (lecture; 1871).
- The History of Freedom in Antiquity (address; 1877).
- The History of Freedom in Christianity (address; 1877).
- Introductory note to L.A. Burd's edition of Machiavelli's Il Principe (1891).
- A Lecture on the Study of History (1895).
- Introductory note to G.P. Gooch's Annals of Politics and Culture (1901).
Hil ostekoak
Artikuluak
- "Mill on Liberty," Part II, The Rambler (1859–60).
- "The Roman Question," The Rambler (1860).
- "The State of the Church," The Rambler (1860).
- "Hefele's 'Life of Ximenes'," The Rambler (1860).
- "The Political System of the Popes," Part II, Part III, The Rambler (1860–61).
- "Döllinger's 'History of Christianity'," The Rambler (1861).
- "Notes on the Present State of Austria," The Rambler (1861).
- "Political Causes of the American Revolution," The Rambler (1861).
- "Cavour," The Rambler (1861).
- "The Catholic Academy," The Rambler (1861).
- "Döllinger on the Temporal Power," The Rambler (1861).
- "Mr. Goldwin Smith's Irish History," The Rambler (1862).
- "The Protestant Theory of Persecution," The Rambler (1862).
- "Nationality," Home and Foreign Review (1862).
- "Secret History of Charles II," Home and Foreign Review (1862).
- "Confessions of Frederick the Great," Home and Foreign Review (1863).
- "The Waldensian Forgeries," Home and Foreign Review (1863).
- "Ultramontanism," Home and Foreign Review (1863).
- "Mediæval Fables of the Popes," Home and Foreign Review (1863).
- "The Munich Congress," Home and Foreign Review (1864).
- "Conflicts with Rome," Home and Foreign Review (1864).
- "Material Resources of the Papacy," The Chronicle (1867).
- "Fra Paolo Sarpi," The Chronicle (1867).
- "The Case of Monte Cassino," The Chronicle (1867).
- "Döllinger on Universities," The Chronicle (1867).
- "The Ministerial Changes in Italy," The Chronicle (1867).
- "Secret History of the Italian Crisis," The Chronicle (1867).
- "The Secret Bull," The Chronicle (1867).
- "Reminiscences of Massimo d'Azeglio," The Chronicle (1867).
- "The Next General Council," The Chronicle (1867).
- "Ranke," The Chronicle (1867).
- "M. Littré on the Middle Ages," The Chronicle (1867).
- "Mr. Goldwin Smith on the Political History of England," The Chronicle (1867).
- "Nicholas of Cusa," The Chronicle (1867).
- "Maurice of Saxony," The Chronicle (1867).
- "The Acta Sanctorum," The Chronicle (1867).
- "The Queen's Journal," The Chronicle (1868).
- "Ozanam on the Fifth Century," The Chronicle (1868).
- "The Massacre of St. Bartholomew," The North British Review (1868).
- "The Pope and the Council," The North British Review (1869).
- "The Vatican Council," The North British Review (1870).
- "The Borgias and their Latest Historian," The North British Review (1871).
- "Wolsey and the Divorce of Henry VIII," Quarterly Review (1877).
- "Sir Erskine May's 'Democracy in Europe'," Quarterly Review (1878).
- "George Eliot's Life," The Nineteenth Century (1885).
- "German Schools of History," English Historical Review (1886).
- "Wilhelm von Giesebretch," English Historical Review (1890).
- "Döllinger's Historical Work," English Historical Review (1890).