Honorary Fellow Professor Lyndal Roper named 2026 Holberg Prize Laureate

Honorary Fellow of Merton, Professor Lyndal Roper, Emeritus Regius Professor of History at Oxford University, has been named the recipient of the 2026 Holberg Prize.

Created by the Norwegian Parliament in 2003, the Holberg Prize is among the world’s most significant awards for research in the humanities, social sciences, law, and theology. Professor Roper will receive NOK 6,000,000 (approximately £466,000) at a ceremony hosted by the University of Bergen on 4 June.

Recognised globally as a leading authority on early modern European history, Professor Roper has transformed scholarly understanding of witch persecutions, the German Peasants’ War (1524–1525), and the life and ideas of Martin Luther. Her work has illuminated how gender, the body, psychology, and power shaped the religious and social upheavals of the sixteenth century. She is renowned for pioneering methodologies and for crossing disciplinary boundaries in innovative ways.

Reflecting on her work, Professor Roper said: “Over the course of my career, I’ve been trying to do history from below, that is, I wanted a history that would include the voices of ordinary people, of all kinds, colours and classes, and of women in particular. I wanted new historical narratives that were not about great men and giant events.

“Here I think my experience of being a mother made me realise how important what can’t be put into words is, and how communication doesn’t always need language, and I wanted gender to be front and centre of the kind of history we write. I wanted to bring people’s bodily experiences into history, and I wanted to think about people’s unconscious motivations too.”

Norway’s Minister of Research and Higher Education, Sigrun Aasland, commented: “On behalf of the Norwegian Government, I would like to congratulate Professor Lyndal Roper on receiving the 2026 Holberg Prize. Her research offers new perspectives on European history and shows how ideas and beliefs from the past continue to shape us today. Roper’s work demonstrates why the humanities are essential for understanding the society we live in.”

Professor Dan Grimley, Head of the Humanities Division at the University of Oxford, added: “I am delighted that our Emeritus Regius Chair of History, Professor Lyndal Roper, has been awarded the prestigious Holberg Prize. The Prize is awarded to someone who has made a 'decisive influence on international research', and I cannot imagine a more deserving recipient than Professor Roper. Her research and publications have made a major contribution to our understanding of Martin Luther; the history of witchcraft; 16th-century German art; gender history; and more. Students and early career researchers in our History Faculty have benefited from her teaching and support over the years, and we are thrilled by the recognition that this award bestows.”