Richard Abels (born 1951) is an American educator, historian, and

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

at the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

. Abels is a specialist in the military and political institutions of

Anglo-Saxon England Anglo-Saxon England or early medieval England covers the period from the end of Roman Empire, Roman imperial rule in Roman Britain, Britain in the 5th century until the Norman Conquest in 1066. Compared to modern England, the territory of the ...

. He is a Fellow of the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society (RHS), founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the H ...

(elected 1990) and a Fellow of the

Medieval Academy of America The Medieval Academy of America (MAA; spelled Mediaeval until ) is the largest organization in the United States promoting the field of medieval studies. It was founded in 1925 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The academy publishes the q ...

(2024). Abels' approach to medieval military history focuses upon the influence of culture upon the practice and representation of warfare. With his wife Ellen Harrison, Abels is also the co-author of an article examining the role played by women in the

Cathar Catharism ( ; from the , "the pure ones") was a Christian quasi- dualist and pseudo-Gnostic movement which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France, between the 12th and 14th centuries. Denounced as a he ...

heresy based upon a statistical analysis of Inquisitiorial registers. Richard Philip Abels was born on October 31, 1951 in Brooklyn, New York, United States, the son of Milton and Blanche Abels. Abels received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College in 1973. Two years later, he earned a Master of Arts from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, and in 1982 was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree by the same university. Abels’ dissertation, written under the direction of J.M.W. Bean, became the basis for his first book, Lordship and Military Obligation in Anglo-Saxon England. Richard Abels began his teaching career as a preceptor at Columbia University in 1977. He held this position until 1980, becoming an instructor there in 1981. From 1981 to 1982, he served as a visiting assistant professor at

Cornell College Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally the Iowa Conference Seminary (Methodist), the school was founded in 1853 by George Bryant Bowman. Four years later, in 1857, the name was changed to Cornell Co ...

. In 1982, Abels was hired by the United States Naval Academy as an assistant professor of history. He was promoted to associate professor in 1986, and to full professor in 1991. From 2008 to 2014, he served as Chair of the Naval Academy’s History Department. He retired in 2017 and was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus in the following year.

Selected publications

*''Alfred the Great: War, Kingship and Culture in Anglo-Saxon England''. London: Longman, 1998. *''Æthelred the Unready: The Failed King''. Penguin Monarchs Series, Penguin U.K., 2018. *''Lordship and Military Obligation in Anglo-Saxon England''. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California, 1988. *''The Normans and their Adversaries: Essays in Memory of C. Warren Hollister''. Co-edited with Bernard Bachrach. Woodbridge, Suffolk:

Boydell and Brewer Boydell & Brewer is an academic press based in Martlesham, Suffolk, England, that specializes in publishing historical and critical works. In addition to British and general history, the company publishes three series devoted to studies, edition ...

, 2001. *"The Participation of Women in Languedocian Catharism." ''Mediaeval Studies'' 41 (1979): 215-251. (With Ellen Harrison.) In 2022, Abels began the podcast
'Tis But A Scratch: Fact & Fiction About the Middle Ages
" which compares popular conceptions of the Middle Ages to their underlying historical reality.

References

External links

* United States Naval Academy faculty Living people 1951 births American military historians Historians of England Fellows of the Royal Historical Society {{US-historian-stub