Martyn Rady (born 1955) is Masaryk Professor Emeritus of Central European History at the

School of Slavonic and East European Studies The UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES ) is a school of University College London (UCL) specializing in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia. It teaches a range of subjects, including the history ...

(SSEES),

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. He was from 1995 to 2009 Warden of Hughes Parry Hall, an intercollegiate hall of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. He retired from UCL in December 2020. He lives in Ramsgate in Kent.

Career

Martyn Rady was educated at Caterham School and

Westfield College Westfield College was a small college situated in Hampstead, London, from 1882 to 1989. It was the first college to aim to educate women for University of London degrees from its opening. The college originally admitted only women as students and ...

, University of London, where he read for a BA History. He went on to do postgraduate work at the University of London and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, which he attended as a

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

exchange student. While a teacher at

Mill Hill School Mill Hill School is a 13–18 mixed independent, day and boarding school in Mill Hill, London, England that was established in 1807. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. History A committee of Nonconformist ...

in the 1980s Rady wrote several books for sixth-formers, including ''Emperor

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 ...

'' (Longman, 1987). He moved to SSEES in 1990, where he had previously completed his PhD, publishing books and articles primarily on the history of

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

and

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

. His principal academic interest is Hungarian legal history and the translation of medieval Latin texts. In retirement, he has published books aimed at the popular market, ''The Habsburgs: The Rise and Fall of a World Power'' (2020) and ''The Middle Kingdoms: A New History of Central Europe'' (2023). From 1998 to 2020 he was General Editor of ''The Slavonic and East European Review''. In 2004 he was made an Honorary Life Member of the

Modern Humanities Research Association The Modern Humanities Research Association (MHRA) is a United Kingdom–based international organisation that aims to encourage and promote advanced study and research of humanities. It is most notable for producing the ''MHRA Style Guide''. His ...

. He was appointed Professor of Central European History in 2004 and awarded the established Masaryk Chair in 2015.

Publications

Rady's publications include: *''Medieval Buda: A Study of Municipal Government and Jurisdiction in the Kingdom of Hungary'' (East European Monographs, 1985). *''Emperor Charles V'' (Longman, 1988) *''Romania in Turmoil: A Contemporary History'' (IB Tauris, 1992) *(ed. with Peter J.S. Duncan) ''Towards a New Community: Culture and Politics in Post- Totalitarian Europe'' (SSEES and LitVerlag, 1993) *(joint author) ''Cultural Atlas of the Renaissance'' (Prentice-Hall/Time-Life, 1993) *''Nobility, Land and Service in Medieval Hungary'' (Palgrave, 2000) * ''Customary Law in Hungary: Courts, Texts and the Tripartitum'' (OUP, 2015) *(ed. with

László Péter László Péter (July 8, 1929 – June 6, 2008) was Emeritus Professor of Hungarian History at the University of London. He completed his first degree at the Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest after which he worked as an archivist and teacher. ...

and P. Sherwood) Lajos Kossuth Sent Word...' Papers delivered on the occasion of the bicentenary of Kossuth's Birth'' (SSEES, 2003) *(ed.) ''Custom and Law in Central Europe'' (Cambridge Centre for European Law, 2003) *(ed. with

) ''British-Hungarian Relations Since 1848'' (SSEES, 2004) *(ed. & trans with J. Bak and P. Banyo): '' Werbőczy, The Customary Law of the Renowned Kingdom of Hungary: A Work in Three Parts (the Tripartitum)'' (CEU and Schlacks, Budapest and Idyllwild, 2005) *(ed. with

): ''Resistance, Rebellion and Revolution in Hungary and Central Europe: Commemorating 1956'' (London, 2008) * ''The Habsburgs: The Rise and Fall of a World Power'' (Allen Lane, 2020)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rady, Martyn Academics of the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies English historians Historians of Europe British legal scholars Living people 1955 births