Henry Maria Robert Egmont Mayr-Harting (born 6 April 1936) is a British

medieval 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 World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

ecclesiastical historian Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual side of the ...

. From 1997 to 2003, he was Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

and a

lay canon Canon () is a Christian title usually used to refer to a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, in one of the houses within the precinct of ...

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

Early life and education

Mayr-Harting was born on 6 April 1936 in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. He is the son of Herbert Mayr-Harting, a lawyer who was the Czechoslovak representative at the

United Nations War Crimes Commission The United Nations War Crimes Commission (UNWCC), initially the United Nations Commission for the Investigation of War Crimes, was a United Nations body that aided the prosecution of war crimes committed by Nazi Germany and other Axis powers duri ...

, and of Anna Mayr-Harting, ''née'' Münzer, who had a distinguished career as a

bacteriologist A bacteriologist is a microbiologist, or similarly trained professional, in bacteriology— a subdivision of microbiology that studies bacteria, typically Pathogenic bacteria, pathogenic ones. Bacteriologists are interested in studying and learnin ...

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, England. His brother, Thomas Mayr-Harting, is an Austrian and EU diplomat. He was educated at Douai School and

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...

(BA 1957, MA 1961, DPhil 1961, DD 2004).

Career

Mayr-Harting was lecturer in medieval history at the

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

1960–68. He then returned to

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

to become

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 ...

and

Tutor Tutoring is private academic help, usually provided by an expert teacher; someone with deep knowledge or defined expertise in a particular subject or set of subjects. A tutor, formally also called an academic tutor, is a person who provides assis ...

in Medieval History at St Peter's College from 1968 until 1997, when he was appointed Fellow Emeritus. From 1976 until 1997 he was also lecturer in medieval history at

Merton College Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor ...

. In the 1970s Mayr-Harting served as Admissions Tutor for St Peter's College and in the early 1980s as Chair of the Faculty Board for the Faculty of History. Mayr-Harting was

Slade Professor of Fine Art The Slade Professorship of Fine Art is the oldest professorship of art and art history at the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and University College, London. History The chairs were founded concurrently in 1869 by a bequest from the art collect ...

for the

academic year An academic year, or school year, is a period that schools, colleges and university, universities use to measure the duration of studies for a given educational level. Academic years are often divided into academic terms. Students attend classe ...

1987–88 and in 1993 he was named university reader in medieval history. In 1997 he became the first Roman Catholic and the first layperson to be appointed Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History in the

and consequently he became the first

of Christ Church Cathedral. He retired from these positions in 2003. He was elected

Visiting Fellow In academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of ...

Peterhouse, Cambridge Peterhouse is the oldest Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Peterhouse has around 300 undergraduate and 175 graduate stud ...

, in 1983 and Brown Foundation Fellow at Sewanee: The University of the South in 1992. He was elected a

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (post-nominal letters FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in t ...

in the same year and he is a corresponding member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. He was the president of the Ecclesiastical History Society (2001–02).Past Presidents - Ecclesiastical History Society
/ref> In 2003 he took part in the Spring Lecture Series, ''Barbarian Europe: The Creation of a Civilization'', at the Institute for Medieval Studies,

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

. Hon. D.Litt., University of East Anglia, 2009.

Personal life

In 1968 Mayr-Harting married Caroline Mary Humphries. Together they have a son, Felix (born 1969), and a daughter, Ursula (born 1972). Mayr-Harting's daughter, now called Ursula Weekes, is an art historian and has written several books, including ''Techniques of Drawing'' (exh. cat.,

Ashmolean Museum The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street in Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University ...

, 1996), ''Early Netherlandish Engraving circa 1440–1540'' (

, 1997), ''Techniques of Drawing: from the 15th to the 19th Centuries'' (

, 1999), and ''Early Engravers and their Public: the Master of the Berlin Passion and Manuscripts from Convents in the Rhine-Maas Region'' (London: Harvey Miller, 2004).

Selected publications

*Henry Mayr-Harting, ''The Bishops of Chichester and the Administration of Their Diocese, 1075–1207: with a Collection of Acta'' (

DPhil thesis, 1961) *

Widukind of Corvey Widukind of Corvey (c. 925after 973; , in italian ''Vitichindo Sacco di Corvey'', in Latin VVITICHINDI SAXO) was a medieval Saxon chronicler. His three-volume '' Res gestae Saxonicae sive annalium libri tres'' is an important chronicle of 10th-cen ...

, ''Res gestae Saxonicae'', tr. Henry Mayr-Harting (typescript 1962, privately bound 1995) *Henry Mayr-Harting, ''The Bishops of Chichester, 1075–1207: Biographical Notes and Problems'' (

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

: Chichester City Council, 1963) *Henry Mayr-Harting, ed. and introduction, ''Diocesis Cicestrensis: The Acta of the Bishops of Chichester, 1075–1207'' ( Canterbury and York Society, vol. 56,

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignt ...

: Devonshire Press, 1964) *Henry Mayr-Harting,
The Coming of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England
' (London: B. T. Batsford, 1972; London: Book Club Associates, 1977; 3rd edn, London:

Batsford Batsford is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Cotswold (district), Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. The village is about north-west of Moreton-in-Marsh. There is a falconry centre close to the village ...

; University Park:

Pennsylvania State University Press The Penn State University Press, also known as The Pennsylvania State University Press, is a non-profit publisher of scholarly books and journals. Established in 1956, it is the independent publishing branch of the Pennsylvania State University ...

, 1991) *Henry Mayr-Harting, 'Functions of a Twelfth-Century Recluse', ''History'' 60 (1975), 337–52 *Henry Mayr-Harting, ''The Venerable Bede, the Rule of St Benedict, and Social Class'' (Jarrow Lecture 1976,

Jarrow Jarrow ( or ) is a town in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. Historically in County Durham, it is on the south bank of the River Tyne, about from the east coast. The 2011 census area classed Hebburn and the Boldons as ...

: Rector of Jarrow, 1976) *Henry Mayr-Harting and R. I. Moore, eds, ''Studies in Medieval History Presented to R. H. C. Davis'' (London: Hambledon Press, 1985) *Henry Mayr-Harting, ''Saint Wilfrid'' (London: Catholic Truth Society, 1986) *Henry Mayr-Harting, ed., ''St Hugh of Lincoln: Lectures Delivered at Oxford and Lincoln to Celebrate the Eighth Centenary of St Hugh's Consecration as Bishop of Lincoln'' (

Clarendon Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 1987) *Henry Mayr-Harting, 'The Foundation of Peterhouse, Cambridge (1284) and the Rule of Saint Benedict', ''

English Historical Review ''The English Historical Review'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal that was established in 1886 and published by Oxford University Press (formerly by Longman). It publishes articles on all aspects of history – British, European, a ...

'' 103 (1988), 318 *Henry Mayr-Harting, ''Ottonian Book Illumination: an Historical Study'' (2 vols, London: Harvey Miller, 1991; 2nd edn, London: Harvey Miller, 1999) *Henry Mayr-Harting, ''Two conversions to Christianity: the Bulgarians and the Anglo-Saxons'' (Stenton Lecture 1993,

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public research university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as the University Extension College, Reading, an extension college of Christchurch College, Oxford, and became University College, ...

, 1994) *Henry Mayr-Harting, 'Charlemagne, the Saxons, and the Imperial Coronation of 800', ''English Historical Review'' 111:444 (November 1996), 1113–33 *Henry Mayr-Harting, ''Perceptions of Angels in History: an Inaugural Lecture Delivered in the University of Oxford on 14 November 1997'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1998) *Henry Mayr-Harting, 'Liudprand of Cremona's Account of his Legation to Constantinople (968) and Ottonian Imperial Strategy', ''English Historical Review'' 116 (2001) 539 * Richard Harries and Henry Mayr-Harting, eds, ''Christianity: Two Thousand Years'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001) *Henry Mayr-Harting, 'The Uta Codex: Art, Philosophy, and Reform in Eleventh-Century Germany', ''Catholic Historical Review'' 88:4 (October 2002), 759–61 *Henry Mayr-Harting, ''Melbourne Church in its Earliest Historical Surroundings: the Friends First Public Lecture'' (

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

: Friends of Melbourne Parish Church, 2004) *Henry Mayr-Harting, ''Church and Cosmos in Early Ottonian Germany: The View from Cologne'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007) *Henry Mayr-Harting, ''Religion, Politics and Society in Britain 1066–1272'' (London: Longman, 2011)

References

Sources and further reading

*Henry Mayr-Harting,
The Relevance of Medieval History
, ''History Faculty Alumni Newsletter'' 2 (June 2004) *Henry Mayr-Harting,
Much more than "ornament"
, ''Cherwell'' (16 May 2003)
Austrian Academy of SciencesLawrence University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayr-Harting, Henry 1936 births Living people 20th-century British historians 20th-century British male writers 20th-century Roman Catholics 21st-century British historians 21st-century British male writers 21st-century Roman Catholics Academics of the University of Liverpool Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Anglo-Saxon studies scholars British art historians British historians of religion British male non-fiction writers British medievalists British Roman Catholic writers Czech emigrants to England Czechoslovak emigrants to the United Kingdom Fellows of the British Academy Fellows of Christ Church, Oxford Fellows of Peterhouse, Cambridge Fellows of St Peter's College, Oxford Historians of the British Isles Historians of Christianity Historians of Europe People educated at Douai School Presidents of the Ecclesiastical History Society Regius Professors of Ecclesiastical History Slade Professors of Fine Art (University of Oxford) Historians of the University of Oxford