Robert Bartlett (historian)
Encyclopedia
Robert Bartlett FRHistS, FBA, FRSE, FSA (born 1950) is a historian
and medievalist. Bartlett is English
, though his academic interests cover the whole of Europe
.
He currently holds the position of Wardlaw Professor of Mediaeval History at the University of St Andrews
, in Fife
, Scotland
. He attended Battersea Grammar School (1962 to 1969). He studied at Peterhouse, Cambridge
, St John's College, Oxford
and Princeton University
; he obtained research fellowships at several institutions, including the University of Michigan
and Georg-August University of Göttingen
, before working at the University of Edinburgh
, University of Chicago
and the University of St Andrews, where he currently resides.
He is particularly known for his work The Making of Europe: Conquest, Colonization and Cultural Change, 950-1350. The latter won the Wolfson History Prize
in 1993. He specializes in medieval colonialism, the cult of saints, and England between the 11th century and the 14th century. He gave the 2007 Ford Lectures
at Oxford. He wrote and presented Inside The Medieval Mind, a four part documentary broadcast by the BBC in 2008 as part of a medieval season. In 2010, he wrote and presented The Normans on the BBC, a documentary series about their wide-ranging impact on Britain and further afield.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and medievalist. Bartlett is English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, though his academic interests cover the whole of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
He currently holds the position of Wardlaw Professor of Mediaeval History at the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
, in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He attended Battersea Grammar School (1962 to 1969). He studied at Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the oldest college of the University, having been founded in 1284 by Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely...
, St John's College, Oxford
St John's College, Oxford
__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...
and Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
; he obtained research fellowships at several institutions, including the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and Georg-August University of Göttingen
Georg-August University of Göttingen
The University of Göttingen , known informally as Georgia Augusta, is a university in the city of Göttingen, Germany.Founded in 1734 by King George II of Great Britain and the Elector of Hanover, it opened for classes in 1737. The University of Göttingen soon grew in size and popularity...
, before working at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and the University of St Andrews, where he currently resides.
He is particularly known for his work The Making of Europe: Conquest, Colonization and Cultural Change, 950-1350. The latter won the Wolfson History Prize
Wolfson History Prize
The Wolfson History Prizes are literary awards given annually in the United Kingdom to promote and encourage standards of excellence in the writing of history for the general public...
in 1993. He specializes in medieval colonialism, the cult of saints, and England between the 11th century and the 14th century. He gave the 2007 Ford Lectures
Ford Lectures
The Ford Lectures are a prestigious series of public lectures given annually in English or British History by a distinguished historian. Known commonly as "The Ford Lectures," they are properly titled "Ford's Lectures in British History" and they are given by a scholar elected to be "Ford's...
at Oxford. He wrote and presented Inside The Medieval Mind, a four part documentary broadcast by the BBC in 2008 as part of a medieval season. In 2010, he wrote and presented The Normans on the BBC, a documentary series about their wide-ranging impact on Britain and further afield.
Select bibliography
- Gerald of Wales, 1146-1223, (Oxford, 1982)
- Trial by fire and water : the medieval judicial ordeal (Oxford, 1986)
- (ed. with Angus MacKay) Medieval frontier societies
- The Making of Europe: Conquest, Colonization and Cultural Change, 950-1350 (London, 1993)
- England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings, (Oxford, 2000)
- Medieval and Modern Concepts of Race and Ethnicity (Scotland 2001) Published in 'Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies 31:1, Winter 2001
- (ed.& tr.) Life and miracles of St Modwenna , (Oxford, 2002)
- (ed.& tr.) The miracles of Saint Æbbe of Coldingham and Saint Margaret of Scotland, (Oxford, 2003)
- The Hanged Man: A Story of Miracle, Memory and Colonialism in the Middle Ages, (Princeton, 2005)
- Gerald of Wales: A Voice of the Middle Ages, (Tempus, 2006) [revised edition of Gerald of Wales, 1146-1223]
- The Natural and the Supernatural in the Middle Ages (The Wiles Lectures), (Cambridge University Press, 2008)
External links
- Profile at St Andrews
- New York Review of Books
- Inside the Medieval Mind (open university)
- Who's Who:Robert Bartlett, (subscription required)