Regius Professorship of History is one of the senior

chairs A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or Upholstery, upholstered ...

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

at the

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 ...

. It was founded in 1724 by George I as the Regius Professorship of Modern History.

History

The Regius Professorship was originally intended by George I to teach contemporary European history, to correct "the prejudice that has accrued to the ... University from this Defect, Persons of Foreign Nations being often employed in the Education and Tuition of Youth". Two modern language instructors were required to be paid for out of the Professor's salary, which was set at £400 per year, at the time nearly equal to the stipends of all other Cambridge professors put together. The University, in accepting the benefaction, agreed that the professorship would ensure "our Nobility and Gentry will be under no Temptation of sending for persons from foreign Countries to be entrusted with the education of their children." However, the practice of appointing language instructors died out by 1724, Regius Professors instead retaining the whole stipend for themselves, and in 1861 this requirement was formally dropped. The professorship's field of ''modern history'' was intended to encompass all

post-classical history In Human history, world history, post-classical history refers to the period from about 500 CE to 1500 CE, roughly corresponding to the European Middle Ages. The period is characterized by the expansion of civilizations geographically an ...

, beginning from the

fall of Rome The fall of the Western Roman Empire, also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Rome, was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule, and its vast ...

. However, for the first few decades of the professorship's existence, only

ancient history Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian language, ...

was studied in the University, and so the Regius Professorship of Modern History was little more than a

sinecure A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is a position with a salary or otherwise generating income that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval church, ...

. However, by the time an independent History undergraduate examination was established in the 19th century, the professorship had more duties to fulfil. Under the original understanding of ''modern history'', the Regius Professorship was several times held by academics specialising in 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 ...

. However, by the 21st century, the meaning of ''modern history'' had shifted to refer either to the history of the

modern period The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500 ...

following the middle ages, or of the

late modern period In many periodizations of human history, the late modern period followed the early modern period. It began around 1800 and, depending on the author, either ended with the beginning of contemporary history in 1945, or includes the contemporary h ...

following 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 ...

. In 2010, the Queen in Council approved the removal of the word ''modern'' from the title to reflect this change in usage, on the recommendation of the Faculty of History and the University.

Appointment

The appointment is by Royal Warrant on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of the day. Traditionally the Patronage Secretary at Number 10 Downing Street 'took soundings' in Cambridge and put two names before the Prime Minister, of which one was forwarded to the monarch. In 2008, however, Prime Minister Gordon Brown devolved the appointment of all the Regius Professorships onto appointments committees at their respective universities; the Vice-Chancellor is now required to forward the name of the successful candidate, who must have accepted the offer of the post, to the Cabinet Office, which then initiates the recommendation by the Prime Minister and the issuing of the Royal Warrant.

List of Regius Professors

Regius Professors of Modern History

* Samuel Harris 1724 * Shallet Turner 1735 * Lawrence Brockett 1762 *

Thomas Gray Thomas Gray (26 December 1716 – 30 July 1771) was an English poet, letter-writer, and classics, classical scholar at Cambridge University, being a fellow first of Peterhouse then of Pembroke College, Cambridge, Pembroke College. He is widely ...

1768 * John Symonds 1771 * William Smyth 1807 * Sir James Stephen 1849 * Rev'd Charles Kingsley 1860 * Sir John Seeley KCMG 1869 * John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton KCVO 1895 * John Bury 1902 * George Trevelyan OM CBE 1927 * Sir George Clark 1943 * Sir James Butler 1947 * Rev'd M. David Knowles OSB 1954 * Sir Herbert Butterfield 1963 * Rev'd William Owen Chadwick OM KBE 1968 * Sir Geoffrey Elton 1983 * Patrick Collinson CBE 1988 *

Quentin Skinner Quentin Robert Duthie Skinner (born 26 November 1940) is a British intellectual historian. He is regarded as one of the founders of the Cambridge School of the history of political thought. He has won numerous prizes for his work, including ...

1996 * Sir Richard J. Evans 2008

Regius Professors of History

* Sir Richard J. Evans 2010 * Sir Christopher Clark 2014

References