Sir Charles William Chadwick Oman, (12 January 1860 – 23 June 1946) was a British

military historian Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships. Professional historians norma ...

. His reconstructions of medieval battles from the fragmentary and distorted accounts left by chroniclers were pioneering. Occasionally his interpretations have been challenged, especially his widely copied thesis that British troops defeated their Napoleonic opponents by firepower alone.

Paddy Griffith Paddy Griffith (4 February 1947, Liverpool, England – 25 June 2010) was a British military theorist and historian, who authored numerous books in the field of War Studies. He was also a wargame designer for the UK Ministry of Defence, and a le ...

, among modern historians, claims that the British infantry's discipline and willingness to attack were equally important.

Early life

Oman was born in

Muzaffarpur district Muzaffarpur District is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar States and territories of India, state, India. Muzaffarpur district is part of and also the headquarters of Tirhut division, Tirhut Division Tirhut is the ancient name of all of ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, the son of a British planter, and was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

and at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, where he studied under

William Stubbs William Stubbs (21 June 182522 April 1901) was an English historian and Anglican bishop. He was Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford between 1866 and 1884. He was Bishop of Chester from 1884 to 1889 and Bishop of O ...

. Here, he was invited to become a founding member of the

Stubbs Society The Stubbs Society for Foreign Affairs and Defence, commonly referred to simply as Stubbs Society, is the University of Oxford's oldest officially affiliated paper-reading and debating society (not to be confused with the unaffiliated debating ...

, which was under Stubbs's patronage.

Career

In 1881 he was elected to a Prize Fellowship at

All Souls College All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of t ...

, where he remained for the rest of his academic career. He was elected the

Chichele Professor The Chichele Professorships are statutory professorships at the University of Oxford named in honour of Henry Chichele (also spelt Chicheley or Checheley, although the spelling of the academic position is consistently "Chichele"), an Archbishop of ...

of Modern History at Oxford in 1905, in succession to

Montagu Burrows Montagu Burrows (27 October 1819 – 10 July 1905) was a British historian. Following a career as an officer in the Royal Navy, he was the first Chichele Professor of Modern History at Oxford University, holding the Chair from 1862 until his dea ...

. He was also elected to the FBA that year, and served as President of the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

(1917–1921), the Numismatic Society and the

Royal Archaeological Institute The Royal Archaeological Institute (RAI) is a learned society, established in 1844, with interests in all aspects of the archaeological, architectural and landscape history of the British Isles. Membership is open to all with an interest in these ...

. Among his teaching activities at Oxford, he taught the special subject in military history with

C.T. Atkinson Christopher Thomas Atkinson (born on 6 September 1874 - died 18 February 1964) was the preeminent tutor for British military history at the University of Oxford in the first half of the twentieth century. Early life, education, and family Atkinso ...

of Exeter College that focused on the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

. Oman's academic career was interrupted by the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, during which he was employed by the government's Press Bureau and the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

. Oman was the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Member of

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for the University of Oxford constituency from 1919 to 1935, and was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

ed KBE in the 1920 civilian war honours list. The parody history book ''

1066 and All That ''1066 and All That: A Memorable History of England, Comprising All the Parts You Can Remember, Including 103 Good Things, 5 Bad Kings and 2 Genuine Dates'' is a tongue-in-cheek reworking of the history of England. Written by W. C. Sellar and R. J ...

'', published in 1930, includes the dedication "''Absit Oman''", a distortion of the

Latin phrase __NOTOC__ This is a list of Wikipedia articles of Latin phrases and their translation into English. ''To view all phrases on a single, lengthy document, see: List of Latin phrases (full)'' The list also is divided alphabetically into twenty page ...

"Absit omen". It can be translated as "may Oman be absent", reflecting the prominence of Oman among English historians at the time.

Honours

He became an honorary fellow of New College in 1936, and received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

s of DCL (Oxford, 1926) and

LL.D Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the earl ...

(

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, 1911 and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, 1927). He was awarded the

Medal of the Royal Numismatic Society The Medal of the Royal Numismatic Society was first awarded in 1883. It is awarded by the Royal Numismatic Society and is one of the highest markers of recognition given to numismatists. The President and Council award the Medal annually to an "indi ...

in 1928. He died at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

aged 86.

Children

Two of Oman's children became authors. His daughter

Carola Oman Carola Oman CBE (11 May 1897 – 11 June 1978) was an English historical novelist, biographer and children's writer. She was best known for her retelling of the Robin Hood legend and for a 1946 biography of Admiral Lord Nelson.Entry for Carola O ...

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

was a writer of history, biography, and fiction for adults and children, including a retelling of the Robin Hood legend and biographies of

Admiral Lord Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...

and Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore. His son Charles C. Oman wrote several volumes on British silverware and similar houseware, worked as a Keeper of the Department of Metalwork in the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, and was active in the

Folklore Society The Folklore Society (FLS) is a national association in the United Kingdom for the study of folklore. It was founded in London in 1878 to study traditional vernacular culture, including traditional music, song, dance and drama, narrative, arts an ...

(and was in turn father to Julia Trevelyan Oman).

Works

1880s

* ''The Art of War in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

'' (1885) * "The Anglo-Norman and Angevin Administrative System (1100–1265)", in ''Essays Introductory to the Study of English Constitutional History'' (1887) * ''A History of Greece From the Earliest Times to the Death of Alexander the Great'' (1888; 7th ed., 1900
8th ed., rev., 1905

1890s

''Warwick the Kingmaker''
(1891)
''The Story of the Byzantine Empire''
(1892) * ''The Dark Ages 476–918'', Period I of ''Periods of European History'' (1893; 5th ed. 1905)
''A History of England''
(1895; 2nd ed. 1919) * ''A History of the Art of War in the

, Vol. I: A.D. 378–1278'' (1898; 2nd ed. 1924) * ''A History of the Art of War in the

, Vol. II: A.D. 1278–1485'' (1898; 2nd ed. 1924) * ''England and the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...

, 1327–1485 A.D.'' (1898), No. III of ''The Oxford Manuals of English History'', Charles Oman, ed. * "Alfred as a Warrior", in ''Alfred The Great'', Alfred Bowker, ed. (1899) * ''Reign of George VI, 1900-1925. A Forecast Written in the Year 1763'' (preface and notes) (1763; republished 1899)

1900s

''England in the Nineteenth Century''
(1900) * '' A History of the Peninsular War, Vol. I: 1807–1809'' (1902)
''Seven Roman Statesmen of the Later Roman Republic''
(1902) * ''A History of the

, Vol. II: Jan. 1809-Sep. 1809'' (1903) * "The

, 1808–14", in ''

The Cambridge Modern History ''The Cambridge Modern History'' is a comprehensive modern history of the world, beginning with the 15th century Age of Discovery, published by the Cambridge University Press in England and also in the United States. The first series, planned b ...

'', Vol. IX, ''Napoleon'' (1906) * "The

Hundred Days The Hundred Days (french: les Cent-Jours ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition, marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration ...

, 1815", in ''The Cambridge Modern History'', Vol. IX, ''Napoleon'' (1906)
"Inaugural lecture on the study of history"
(1906), in ''Oxford Lectures on University Studies, 1906–1921'' (1924)
''The Great Revolt of 1381''
(1906) (See The Great Revolt of 1381.) * ''The History of England from the Accession of Richard II. to the Death of Richard III. (1377–1485)'', Vol. IV of ''The Political History of England'' (1906), William Hunt & Reginald Poole, ed. * ''A History of the

, Vol. III: Sep. 1809 – Dec. 1810'' (1908)

1910s

* ''A History of England Before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

'' (1910; 8th ed. 1937), Vol. I of ''A History of England in Seven Volumes'' (1904–), Charles Oman, ed. * '' A History of the Peninsular War, Vol. IV: Dec. 1810 – Dec. 1811'' (1911) * ''

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

's Army, 1809–1814'' (1912) * ''A History of the

, Vol. V: Oct. 1811 – Aug. 1812'' (1914) * ''The Outbreak of the War of 1914–18: A Narrative Based Mainly on British Official Documents'' (1919)

1920s

* '' A History of the Peninsular War, Vol. VI: Sep. 1812 – Aug. 1813'' (1922)
''The Unfortunate Colonel Despard & Other Studies''
(1922) * ''Castles'' (1926) * "The

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

", in ''Political Principles of Some Notable Prime Ministers of the Nineteenth Century'', Fossey John Cobb Hearnshaw, ed. (1926) * ''Studies in the Napoleonic Wars'' (1929)

1930s

* '' A History of the Peninsular War, Vol. VII: Aug. 1813 – Apr. 1814'' (1930) * ''The Coinage of England'' (1931) * ''Things I Have Seen'' (1933) * "The Necessity for the Reformation" (1933) (public lecture) * ''A History of the Art of War in the Sixteenth Century'' (1937) * ''The Sixteenth century'' (1937) * ''On the Writing of History'' (1939)

1940s

* ''Memories of Victorian Oxford and of Some Early Years'' (1941) * ''The Lyons Mail'' (1945)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oman, Charles William Chadwick 1860 births 1946 deaths People educated at Winchester College Alumni of the University of Oxford British military historians Anglo-Indian people Historians of the Napoleonic Wars Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford Fellows of New College, Oxford Fellows of the British Academy Presidents of the Royal Numismatic Society Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the University of Oxford Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1922–1923 UK MPs 1923–1924 UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1931–1935 Presidents of the Royal Historical Society Chichele Professors of Modern History People from Muzaffarpur district Presidents of the Royal Archaeological Institute