Steven Gunn to give 2015 Ford Lectures
Merton Tutor in History Dr Steven Gunn is to deliver the 2014-15 James Ford Lectures in British History, looking at the English people at war in the age of Henry VIII.
Dr Gunn’s lectures will explore the century of military, political and social change that lay between Edward IV’s invasion of France in 1475 in the afterglow of the Hundred Years War and Elizabeth I’s attempts to shape a trained militia and a powerful navy to defend England in a Europe increasingly polarised by religion.
The Ford Lectures - long established as the most prestigious series in Oxford and an important annual event in the History Faculty calendar - began in 1896-7 following a bequest from James Ford, an antiquary and Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford. They provide a showcase allowing distinguished scholars to present their work in a scholarly but accessible way, and have often resulted in important books, many of them classic and pioneering works of British history.
Towards the end of the series, the Lecturer generally convenes a seminar for faculty members and students, where the themes and ideas of the series are discussed.
The lectures take place during Hilary Term 2015, with the first one, entitled 'Wars and rumours of wars', on Friday 30 January at 5pm at the Examination Schools.
April 2015 UPDATE: You can now download recordings of the lectures from the Oxford Podcasts website.
