Hugh Swynnerton Thomas, Baron Thomas of Swynnerton (21 October 1931 – 7 May 2017) was an English

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

and writer, best known for his book '' The Spanish Civil War''.

Early life

Thomas was born on 21 October 1931 in

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

, England, to Hugh Whitelegge Thomas, a colonial commissioner, and his wife Margery Augusta Angelo, '' née'' Swynnerton. Sir

Shenton Thomas Sir Thomas Shenton Whitelegge Thomas (10 October 1879 – 15 January 1962), commonly known as Sir Shenton Thomas, was a British colonial administrator most notable for his role as Governor of the Straits Settlements in Singapore. He served fr ...

was his uncle. He was educated at

Sherborne School (God and My Right) , established = 705 by Aldhelm, re-founded by King Edward VI 1550 , closed = , type = Public school Independent, boarding school , religion = Church of England , president = , chair_label = Chairman of the governors ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

, before taking a BA in 1951 at Queens' College, Cambridge, where he was a major scholar and was later an Honorary Fellow. Thomas gained a first class in Part I of the History

Tripos At the University of Cambridge, a Tripos (, plural 'Triposes') is any of the examinations that qualify an undergraduate for a bachelor's degree or the courses taken by a student to prepare for these. For example, an undergraduate studying mathe ...

in 1952, and the following year was president of the

Cambridge Union Society The Cambridge Union Society, also known as the Cambridge Union, is a debating and free speech society in Cambridge, England, and the largest society in the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1815, it is the oldest continuously running debati ...

. He also studied at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

in Paris.

Career

From 1954 to 1957, Thomas worked in the Foreign Office partly as secretary of the British Delegation to the sub-committee of the UN Disarmament Commission. From 1966 to 1975, he was Professor of History at the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

, and chairman of the European committee. He was then chairman of the neoliberal

Centre for Policy Studies The Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) is a think tank and pressure group in the United Kingdom. Its goal is to promote coherent and practical policies based on its founding principles of: free markets, "small state," low tax, national independ ...

in London from 1979 to 1991.

Politics

Until 1974, Thomas was a member of the Labour Party. He was created a life peer as Baron Thomas of Swynnerton, ''of

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Ma ...

in Greater London'' by letters patent dated 16 June 1981, and sat as a

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 in ...

, before he joined the Liberal Democrats in 1998. He later sat as a crossbencher. He wrote political works favouring European integration, such as ''Europe: the Radical Challenge'' (1973), as well as histories. He was also the author of three novels: ''The World's Game'' (1957), ''The Oxygen Age'' (1958), and ''Klara'' (1988). Thomas's 1961 book '' The Spanish Civil War'' won the

Somerset Maugham Award The Somerset Maugham Award is a British literary prize given each year by the Society of Authors. Set up by William Somerset Maugham in 1947 the awards enable young writers to enrich their work by gaining experience in foreign countries. The awa ...

for 1962. A significantly revised and enlarged third edition was published in 1977; further editions were published in 1999 and 2012. ''

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, or the Pursuit of Freedom'' (1971) is a book of over 1,500 pages tracing the

history of Cuba The history of Cuba is characterized by dependence on outside powers—Spanish Empire, Spain, the United States, US, and the Soviet Union, USSR. The island of Cuba was inhabited by various Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Amerindian cultures ...

from

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

colonial rule until the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which placed Fulgencio Batista as head of state and the failed mass strike in opposition that followed. After failing to contest Batista in co ...

. In 1985, he signed a petition against the

Sandinista National Liberation Front The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto Cé ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

, in support of the Contras, an anti-Sandinista paramilitary group. In 1990 he was one of the leading historians behind the setting up of the History Curriculum Association. The Association advocated a more knowledge-based history curriculum in schools. It expressed "profound disquiet" at the way history was being taught in the classroom and observed that the integrity of history was threatened.

Personal life

Thomas was married to Hon. Vanessa Jebb, a painter and daughter of

Gladwyn Jebb Hubert Miles Gladwyn Jebb, 1st Baron Gladwyn (25 April 1900 – 24 October 1996) was a prominent British civil servant, diplomat and politician who served as the acting secretary-general of the United Nations between 1945 and 1946. Early ...

, the first Acting

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

Secretary-General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

and

British Ambassador to France The British Ambassador to France is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in France, and is the head of Britain's diplomatic mission in Paris. The official title is ''His Majesty's Ambassador to France''. Traditionally, the ...

. They had three children: Inigo, Isambard and Isabella.

Awards

Thomas won the

(1962), the Nonino Prize (2009), the

Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio (, , ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was some ...

Prize (2009), the Gabarrón Prize (2008) and the Calvo Serer Prize (2009). The

French Government The Government of France (French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who i ...

appointed him Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2008. Thomas also received the

Grand Cross Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Grand ...

of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic from Spain, as well as the Mexican

Order of the Aztec Eagle The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle ( es, Orden Mexicana del Águila Azteca) forms part of the Mexican Honours System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners in the country. History It was created by decree on December 29, 1933 ...

, the Joaquín Romero Murube Prize in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

(2013) and the Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise (2014).

Works

* ''Disarmament – the way ahead''

Fabian Society The Fabian Society is a British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in democracies, rather than by revolutionary overthrow. T ...

(1957). * '' The Spanish Civil War'' (1961);

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Modern Library, commemorated the book's reaching 50 consecutive years in print; it was published in 15 languages
online
* ''Cuba or the Pursuit of Freedom'' (1971); revised editions (1998), (2002), (2010)
online
* ''Europe: the Radical Challenge'' (1973). * '' John Strachey'' (1973)
online
* ''An Unfinished History of the World'' (1979); published in the United States as ''A History of the World'', then as ''World History'' (1998); and under the original title in London (by Hamish Hamilton) in 1979, and with revised editions in 1981 and 1982
online edition
* ''The revolution on balance'' (1983), Washington, DC;

Cuban American National Foundation The Cuban American National Foundation is a foundation with the aim of assisting members of the Cuban community in Miami, Florida. Background and founding The Cuban National American Foundation was founded at a time when Republican American polit ...

1983 (CANF pamphlet #5)
online
* ''Armed Truce'' (1986). A history of the beginning of the Cold War
online
* ''Ever Closer Union'' (1991). * ''The conquest of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

'' (1993); published in the United States as ''Conquest: Montezuma, Cortés and the Fall of Old Mexico''
online
* ''The

Slave Trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

: The History of the Atlantic Slave Trade 1440–1870'' (1997);

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...

online
* ''Who Is Who of the

Conquistadors Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, ...

'' (2000). A study of those who fought for Cortés. * ''Rivers of Gold'' (2003); the first book in a trilogy about the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

online
* ''

Beaumarchais Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (; 24 January 1732 – 18 May 1799) was a French polymath. At various times in his life, he was a watchmaker, inventor, playwright, musician, diplomat, spy, publisher, horticulturist, arms dealer, satirist, ...

'' (2006); . * ''Eduardo Barreiros and the Recovery of Spain'' (2009); a biography of Eduardo Barreiros. * ''The Golden Age: The Spanish Empire of

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

'' (2010); the second book in a trilogy about the Spanish Empire. Published in the United States as ''The Golden Empire: Spain, Charles V, and the Creation of America'' (2011). * ''The World's Game''; a novel (1957). * ''The Oxygen Age''; a novel (1958). * ''Klara'', a novel (1988). * ''The

Suez Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same bou ...

Affair'' (1966); an analysis of the Suez Crisis of 1956. * ''World Without End: The Global Empire of

Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...

'' (2014); the third volume in a trilogy about the Spanish Empire.

Arms

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Hugh 1931 births 2017 deaths People from Windsor, Berkshire People educated at Sherborne School British historians British Hispanists University of Paris alumni Crossbench life peers Presidents of the Cambridge Union Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Historians of Spain Recipients of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers Conservative Party (UK) life peers Historians of the Spanish Civil War