Astrid Friis (1893–1966) was a Danish historian. In 1945, she was appointed professor of history at the University of Copenhagen, so becoming the first female professor in a Danish university. She was immediately recognized as an outstanding researcher with the publication in 1927 of her seminal work on ''Alderman Cockayne's project and the cloth trade'' which examined the history of trade and commerce in 17th-century Britain. She later turned to Danish history writing biographies of officials and merchants from the 16th and 17th centuries. From 1942, she edited the ''Danish Journal of History''.

Early life and education

Born in Lemvig on 1 August 1893, Astrid Friis was the daughter of the engineer Ludvig Christian Friis (1864–1932) and his wife Ane née Fuglsang (1870–94). Her mother died while she was an infant and her father emigrated to Australia a few years later, leaving his two daughters to be brought up by their paternal grandmother and two unmarried aunts. Thanks to an inheritance left by her maternal grandfather, a successful brick factory owner, Friis was able to complete her education at Karen Kjær's School in 1913 and study history at the University of Copenhagen where she earned a master's degree in 1920. After first studying under

Kristian Erslev Kristian Sophus August Erslev (December 28, 1852 – June 20, 1930) was a Danish historian and professor. Biography Kristian Erslev was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1870, Erslev graduated from Mariboes School in Copenhagen, and began studyin ...

, under the guidance of

Erik Arup Erik Ipsen Arup (November 22, 1876 – September 23, 1951) was a Danish historian and educator. He was most known as the pioneer of radical-liberal history writing in Denmark. Biography Arup was born at Slangerup in Frederikssund Municipality, D ...

, she decided to become a historian. It was thanks to Arup that she developed interest in British economic history, carrying out extensive research in London. In September 1927, she earned a Ph.D. with her thesis ''Alderman Cockayne's Project and the Cloth Trad: The Commercial Policy of England in Its Main Aspects, 1603–1625''. As a result, her reputation was immediately established among British historians, as all the reviews of her book were positive. Writing in the '' Economic History Review'' in 1929, the historian R. H. Tawney commented: "''Alderman Cockayne's Project and the Cloth Trade'', by Miss Astrid Friis, is one of the most important books which have appeared in English on the economic history of the 17th century."

Career

After her Ph.D., Friis was able to earn a living from the articles she wrote for the '' Danish National Biography'' on 16th- and 17th-century merchants and officials as well as the articles she wrote for the

Encyclopaedia Britannica An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

. From 1942, she served as an editor of the Danish Journal of History. Her application in 1939 for a professorship in history at

Aarhus University Aarhus University ( da, Aarhus Universitet, abbreviated AU) is a public research university with its main campus located in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the second largest and second oldest university in Denmark. The university is part of the Coimbra Gr ...

was not accepted, no doubt because the institution was not ready to admit a woman to the post. It was not until 1946 that she was finally appointed professor of history at the University of Copenhagen, so becoming Denmark's first female professor. There she carried out research on prices and wages in Denmark, publishing her findings in Volume I of ''A History of Prices and Wages in Denmark (1660–1800)'' in collaboration with . Astrid Friis died in Copenhagen on 31 July 1966.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Friis, Astrid 1891 births 1966 deaths People from Lemvig 20th-century Danish historians Danish women historians Academic staff of the University of Copenhagen University of Copenhagen alumni 20th-century Danish writers Danish editors Danish women editors 20th-century Danish women writers Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog