John Albert Lynn (born March 18, 1943) is a military historian who has written on a wide variety of topics in his field, with an emphasis on early modern Europe.

Early life and education

Born in

Glenview, Illinois Glenview is an incorporated village located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, approximately 15 miles northwest of the Chicago Loop. Per the 2020 census, the population was 48,705. The current Village President is Michael Jenny. Geography ...

, in 1943, he received his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree at the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

(1964), his

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

degree at the

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The inst ...

(1967), and his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

(1973).

Career

Lynn taught briefly at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

and the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a public land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. It is classifie ...

, before joining the Department of History at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1978. During 1994-1995, he was the Oppenheimer Professor of Warfighting Strategy at the

Marine Corps University Marine Corps University is a professional military education university system of the United States Marine Corps. It is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Master's Degrees. ...

Marine Corps Base Quantico Marine Corps Base Quantico (commonly abbreviated MCB Quantico) is a United States Marine Corps installation located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly of southern Prince William County, Virginia, northern Stafford County, and southeas ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Retiring from the University of Illinois in 2009, he taught for three years at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

as Distinguished Professor of Military History. In 2012, he returned to the University of Illinois to teach part-time as Professor Emeritus of History and in the Department of Political Science, which he has continued to do up to the present. His current research and teaching interests center on the history of terrorism.

Awards

While at the University of Illinois, Lynn received several teaching awards, including the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 2001. He served as president of the United States Commission on Military History (2003-2007) and vice-president of the

Society for Military History The Society for Military History is a United States–based international organization of scholars who research, write, and teach military history of all time periods and places. It includes naval history, air power history, and studies of technol ...

(2005-2007). He has been awarded two foreign decorations: the French

Ordre des Palmes Académiques A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/ concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes with ...

at the rank of chevalier (2004) and the Moroccan

Order of Ouissam Alaouite Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

at the rank of commandeur (2006). In 2017, he received the

Samuel Eliot Morison Prize The Society for Military History is a United States–based international organization of scholars who research, write, and teach military history of all time periods and places. It includes naval history, air power history, and studies of technol ...

from the

. This award is given in recognition of career accomplishments and contributions; it is the highest award granted by the Society. In August 2017, Lynn was awarded a NEH Public Scholar Grant to fund research and writing on his current project, a history of surrender.

Bibliography

* ''Tactical Evolution in the French Army, 1560-1660'' (

Duke University Press Duke University Press is an academic publisher and university press affiliated with Duke University. It was founded in 1921 by William T. Laprade as The Trinity College Press. (Duke University was initially called Trinity College). In 1926 D ...

, 1985) French Historical Studies 14 (2): 176–91 * ''Another Kind of War: An Introduction to the History of Terrorism'' (Yale University Press, forthcoming July 23, 2019) * ''Women, Armies, and Warfare in Early Modern Europe'' (Cambridge University Press, 2008) * ''Battle: A History of Combat and Culture'' (

Westview Press Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in England that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, Routledge, F1000 Research or Dovepress. It is a division of Informa plc, a United Ki ...

, 2003) ** Paperback: Basic Books 2004, * ''The French Wars 1667-1714: the Sun King at War''. ( Osprey Publishing, 2002) * ''The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667–1714'' (

Longman Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publishing company founded in London, England, in 1724 and is owned by Pearson PLC. Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman brand is also ...

, 1999) ** Les guerres de Louis XIV, 1667-1714, traduction Perrin 2010, * ''Giant of the Grand Siècle: The French Army, 1610–1715'' (

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...

, 1997) * ''The Bayonets of the Republic: Motivation and Tactics in the Army of Revolutionary France, 1791–94'' (Westview Press, 1996) * (editor) ''Feeding Mars: Logistics in Western Warfare from the Middle Ages to the Present'' (Westview Press, 1993) * (editor) ''The Tools of War: Ideas, Instruments, and Institutions of Warfare, 1445–1871" (

University of Illinois Press The University of Illinois Press (UIP) is an American university press and is part of the University of Illinois system. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, plus 33 scholarly journals, and several electronic proje ...

, 1990)

References

External links

John A. Lynn
at ACDIS
Faculty page at UIUC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynn, John Albert Living people American military writers American military historians American male non-fiction writers Chevaliers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty 1943 births University of California, Davis alumni