Janet L. Nelson
Encyclopedia
Dame Janet Laughland Nelson, DBE
, FBA
(born 1942) is a British
historian. She is Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at King's College London
.
Nelson was educated at Keswick School, Cumbria and at Newnham College, Cambridge
where she earned her BA
degree in 1964 and her PhD
degree in 1967. She was appointed a Lecturer at King’s College, London in 1970, promoted Reader in 1987, Professor in 1993 and Director of the Centre for Late Antique and Medieval Studies in 1994, retiring in 2007. She was a Vice-President of the British Academy
, 2000–2001, and President of the Royal Historical Society
in 2000–04. She has honorary doctorates from the University of East Anglia
(2004) and St Andrews University (2007).
Her research to date has been focused on early medieval Europe
, including Anglo-Saxon England. She has published widely on kingship, government, political ideas, religion and ritual, and increasingly on women and gender during this period.
Nelson is writing a biography of Charlemagne
, as well as co-directing, with Simon Keynes
(of Cambridge University), the AHRC-funded project Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
.
She has co-edited and/or written the following:
Her biographical study, Charles the Bald, her annotated translation of The Annals of St-Bertin and her papers reflect her interest in Frankish kingship and in the Vikings on the Continent, while her papers on Alfred of Wessex address comparable themes in Anglo-Saxon
history.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FBA
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
(born 1942) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
historian. She is Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
.
Nelson was educated at Keswick School, Cumbria and at Newnham College, Cambridge
Newnham College, Cambridge
Newnham College is a women-only constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1871 by Henry Sidgwick, and was the second Cambridge college to admit women after Girton College...
where she earned her BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1964 and her PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree in 1967. She was appointed a Lecturer at King’s College, London in 1970, promoted Reader in 1987, Professor in 1993 and Director of the Centre for Late Antique and Medieval Studies in 1994, retiring in 2007. She was a Vice-President of the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
, 2000–2001, and President of the Royal Historical Society
Royal Historical Society
The Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868. The premier society in the United Kingdom which promotes and defends the scholarly study of the past, it is based at University College London...
in 2000–04. She has honorary doctorates from the University of East Anglia
University of East Anglia
The University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
(2004) and St Andrews University (2007).
Her research to date has been focused on early medieval Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, including Anglo-Saxon England. She has published widely on kingship, government, political ideas, religion and ritual, and increasingly on women and gender during this period.
Nelson is writing a biography of Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
, as well as co-directing, with Simon Keynes
Simon Keynes
Simon Douglas Keynes MA, PhD, Litt.D, FBA is the current Elrington and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon in the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic at Cambridge University.-Biography:...
(of Cambridge University), the AHRC-funded project Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England
The Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England is a major research project based at King's College London in the Department of History and the Centre for Computing in the Humanities, and at the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, University of Cambridge.From 2000, PASE has been funded by the...
.
She has co-edited and/or written the following:
- Courts, Elites and Gendered Power in the Early Middle Ages (Aldershot, 2007)
- (with P. Wormald) ed., Lay Intellectuals in the Carolingian World (Cambridge, 2007)
- ed., Timothy ReuterTimothy ReuterTimothy Alan Reuter , grandson of the former mayor of Berlin Ernst Reuter, was a German-British historian who specialized in the study of medieval Germany, particularly the social, military and ecclesiastical institutions of the Ottonian and Salian periods .Reuter received his D.phil from Oxford in...
, Medieval Politics and Modern Mentalities (Cambridge, 2007) - (with P. Stafford and J. Martindale) ed., Law, Laity and Solidarities: Essays in Honour of Susan Reynolds (Manchester, 2001)
- (with P. Linehan) ed.,The Medieval World (London, 2001)
- (with F. Theuws) ed., Rituals of Power from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages (Leiden, 2000)
- Rulers and Ruling Families in Earlier Medieval Europe (London, 1999)
- The Frankish World (London, 1996)
- Charles the Bald (London, 1992)
- Politics and Ritual in Early Medieval Europe (London, 1986)
Her biographical study, Charles the Bald, her annotated translation of The Annals of St-Bertin and her papers reflect her interest in Frankish kingship and in the Vikings on the Continent, while her papers on Alfred of Wessex address comparable themes in Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
history.