Robert M. Kingdon
Encyclopedia
Robert M. Kingdon was an American historian
of the Protestant Reformation
.
"Bob" Kingdon was born in Chicago
and spent many of his early years in Hawaii
. He completed his undergraduate education at Oberlin College
before moving on to Columbia University
where he earned a doctorate under the noted Tudor historian Garrett Mattingly
.
He taught at the University of Massachusetts
and the University of Iowa
before settling at the University of Wisconsin in 1965, where he would remain until his retirement.
Along with his path breaking works on the Reformation in Geneva
and the spread of the Reformed
tradition in France
, Kingdon had an enormous influence on early modern studies through his efforts to found the Sixteenth Century Society and Conference
and the Sixteenth Century Journal. During his tenure at Wisconsin, he ushered through a large cohort of graduate students in early modern studies, many of whom have become leading figures in the field.
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...
of the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
.
"Bob" Kingdon was born in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and spent many of his early years in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. He completed his undergraduate education at Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
before moving on to Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
where he earned a doctorate under the noted Tudor historian Garrett Mattingly
Garrett Mattingly
Garrett Mattingly was a professor of European history at Columbia University who specialized in early modern diplomatic history and won a Pulitzer Prize for a bestseller about the Spanish Armada....
.
He taught at the University of Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
and the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
before settling at the University of Wisconsin in 1965, where he would remain until his retirement.
Along with his path breaking works on the Reformation in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
and the spread of the Reformed
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
tradition in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Kingdon had an enormous influence on early modern studies through his efforts to found the Sixteenth Century Society and Conference
Sixteenth Century Society and Conference
The Sixteenth Century Society and Conference is a learned society that promotes research on the early modern period. The society is interdisciplinary in membership, welcoming scholars in history, art history, religion, history of science, musicology, dance history, and literary and cultural...
and the Sixteenth Century Journal. During his tenure at Wisconsin, he ushered through a large cohort of graduate students in early modern studies, many of whom have become leading figures in the field.
Works
- Geneva and the Coming of the Wars of Religion in France, 1555-1563. Geneva: Droz, 1956.
- Geneva and the Consolidation of the French Protestant Movement, 1564-1571. Geneva: Droz, 1967.
- Myths about the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacres, 1572-1576. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1988
- Adultery and Divorce in Calvin's Geneva. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995