J. C. Holt

Sir James Clarke Holt FBA (born 26 April 1922) is an English medieval historian and was the third Master of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University. Educated at Bradford Grammar School, Holt graduated, and subsequently took his DPhil with thesis titled The 'northern' barons under John in 1952, at the University of Oxford. He held the positions of Professor of Medieval History at the University of Nottingham (1962 - 1965), Professor of History at the University of Reading (1965 - 1978) and Professor of Medieval History at the University of Cambridge from 1978 until his retirement in 1988. From 1981 until 1988 he served as the Master of Fitzwilliam College. Holt became a Fellow of the British Academy in 1978 and was its Vice President from 1987 - 1989, president of the Royal Historical Society (1981–1985) and was knighted for his work as an historian. Holt made his fame with the book Magna Carta, which came out in its original edition in 1965. In this work he treated the charter in the context of the political framework of its time. The book has since been fully revised, and is still considered authoritative within its field. He has also published other works on the same period, such as The Northerners: A Study in the Reign of King John, and Robin Hood. Continue Reading »

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