Catherine Betty Abigail Behrens (24 April 1904 – 3 January 1989), known as Betty Behrens and published as C. B. A. Behrens, was a British historian and academic. Her early interests included

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

, Charles II, and the

early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

of English history. She later focused her research on the ''

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

'' (the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...

from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

to the French Revolution). She was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicen ...

in 1935. She became a Fellow of

Clare Hall, Cambridge Clare Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1966 by Clare College, Clare Hall is a college for advanced study, admitting only postgraduate students alongside postdoctoral researchers and fellows. It was est ...

after the publication of ''The Ancien Régime'' (1967). She "achieved an international reputation" with ''The Ancien Régime'', with reviews describing it as "remarkable and absorbing" and "a lively, thought-provoking essay in historical revision".

Early life and education

Behrens was born on 24 April 1904 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England. Her father was Noel Edward Behrens (1879–1967), a Jewish civil servant and banker who had inherited a large amount of money from his father. Her mother Vivien Behrens (1880–1961), the daughter of Sir Cecil Coward, was reared as a Christian. She was educated at home by a series of

governesses A governess is a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching; depending on terms of their employment, they may or m ...

and never attended school. She spoke French and English from an early age and later added German. In 1923, Behrens

matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used now ...

into

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, located on a bank of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The ...

to study modern history. She graduated in 1926 with a first class

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(BA) degree. In 1928 she was awarded a Commonwealth Fellowship to

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

, a women's

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on Undergraduate education, undergraduate study in the Liberal arts education, liberal arts of humanities and science. Such colleges aim to impart ...

that was part of Harvard University in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

, United States.

Academic career

After her return to the United Kingdom, Behrens held research posts at

Bedford College, London Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as the first higher education college for women in the United Kingdom. In 1900, it became a constituent of the University of London. Having played a leading role in the advancement of women in highe ...

and at

University College, Oxford University College, formally The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University commonly called University College in the University of Oxford and colloquially referred to as "Univ", is a Colleges of the University of Oxf ...

. In 1935, she was elected a

. Additionally, she was appointed an

assistant lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct r ...

in the Faculty of History,

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in 1938 and promoted to lecturer the following year. Her research in the mid-1930s was focused on

, and she published

academic papers Academic publishing is the subfield of publishing which distributes academic research and scholarship. Most academic work is published in academic journal articles, books or theses. The part of academic written output that is not formally publis ...

on this period including on his divorce and on resident diplomats. Her interests moved to later English history and in 1941 she published an article on Charles II. As did many academics, Behrens offered her services to the government during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. She left academia for some years to work in

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It ...

, where she was likely assigned to the

Ministry of War Transport The Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) was a department of the British Government formed early in the Second World War to control transportation policy and resources. It was formed by merging the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Transpor ...

. After the war ended, she spent ten years researching and writing an analysis of the role of British-controlled merchant ships during the war for the official ''

History of the Second World War The ''History of the Second World War'' is the official history of the British contribution to the Second World War and was published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO). The immense project was sub-divided into areas to ease publication ...

''. Behrens turned to a new topic, the French ''

'' and the French Revolution. She wrote attacks on the prevailing

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

view of the causes of the revolution. In 1967, she published her magnum opus, ''The Ancien Régime''. The book brought her short-term fame and a place among the Anglo-American intellectual élite. That year, she moved from Newnham College to Clare Hall, a newly founded

postgraduate Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

-only college of the University of Cambridge. She retired from full-time academia in 1972, but continued to be an active academic as a fellow emerita of Clare Hall from 1972 to 1986. Her final book, ''Society, government and the Enlightenment: the experiences of eighteenth-century France and Prussia'', was published in 1985; she was eighty-one.

Personal life

In 1966, Behrens married E. H. Carr, a fellow historian and former diplomat. By the time of his death in 1982, they had been living apart for a number of years. Behrens died on 3 January 1989.

Selected works

* * *

References

External links

Papers of Betty Behrens, held at Churchill Archives Centre

The Betty Behrens Seminar on Classics of Historiography, Clare Hall, Cambridge
{{DEFAULTSORT:Behrens, Betty 1904 births 1989 deaths 20th-century British historians British medievalists British women medievalists Historians of the French Revolution Fellows of Newnham College, Cambridge Fellows of Clare Hall, Cambridge Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford 20th-century British women writers Radcliffe College alumni Members of the University of Cambridge faculty of history British women historians