Maurice Hugh Keen (30 October 1933 – 11 September 2012) was a British

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 stu ...

specializing 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 ...

. His father had been the Oxford University head of finance ('Keeper of the University Chest') and a fellow of

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

, and after schooling 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 ...

, Maurice became an undergraduate there in 1954. He was a contemporary and lifelong friend of Tom Bingham, later the

Senior Law Lord Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, commonly known as Law Lords, were judges appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 to the British House of Lords, as a committee of the House, effectively to exercise the judicial functions of the House o ...

, as well as of the military historian, Sir

John Keegan Sir John Desmond Patrick Keegan (15 May 1934 – 2 August 2012) was an English military historian, lecturer, author and journalist. He wrote many published works on the nature of combat between prehistory and the 21st century, covering land, ...

, whose sister Mary he married. Keen's first success came with the writing of ''The Outlaws of Medieval Legend'' while still a junior research fellow at

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its pred ...

, 1957–1961. He was elected a tutorial fellow of Balliol in 1961, retaining his fellowship until his retirement in 2000, when he was elected a fellow emeritus. He also served as junior dean (1963–68), tutor for admissions (1974–1978), and vice-master (1980–83). In 1984, Keen won the

Wolfson History Prize The Wolfson History Prizes are literary awards given annually in the United Kingdom to promote and encourage standards of excellence in the writing of history for the general public. Prizes are given annually for two or three exceptional works ...

for his book ''Chivalry''. The book redefined in several ways the concept of

chivalry Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours we ...

, underlining the military aspect of it.Paul Vitello
"Maurice H. Keen Dies at 78; Redefined Chivalry"
''The New York Times'', September 25, 2012 Keen was elected a

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # C ...

, a

Fellow of the Royal Historical Society A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

, and a

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

. He appears in the 1989 fictional novel ''

The Negotiator ''The Negotiator'' is a 1998 American action thriller film directed by F. Gary Gray. It stars Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey as two expert hostage negotiators and Chicago police lieutenants. The film was released in the United States on Jul ...

'' by

Frederick Forsyth Frederick McCarthy Forsyth (born 25 August 1938) is an English novelist and journalist. He is best known for thrillers such as ''The Day of the Jackal'', ''The Odessa File'', '' The Fourth Protocol'', '' The Dogs of War'', ''The Devil's Alter ...

. He was an enthusiastic governor of

Blundell's School Blundell's School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school in the English public school tradition, located in Tiverton, Devon. It was founded in 1604 under the will of Peter Blundell, one of the richest men in England at the t ...

in Tiverton for many years, the school being linked to Balliol by a scholarship and fellowship foundation gift.

Selected works

* (1965) ''The Laws of War in the Late Middle Ages'', Routledge & K. Paul * (1967) ''A History of Medieval Europe'', Routledge Kegan & Paul, * (1973) ''England in the Later Middle Ages'', London: Methuen, * (1978) ''The Outlaws of Medieval Legend'' Univ of Toronto Press, * (1984) ''Chivalry'', USA:

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous. , Yale Universi ...

* (1986) ''Some Late Mediaeval Views on Nobility'', University of London, * (1996) ''Nobles, Knights and Men-at-arms in the Middle Ages'', Hambledon Continuum, * (1999) ''Medieval Warfare: A History''.

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

* (2002) ''Origins of the English Gentleman'', Stroud: Tempus, * (2010) ''Chivalry'', London : The

Folio Society The Folio Society is a London-based publisher, founded by Charles Ede in 1947 and incorporated in 1971. Formerly privately owned, it operates as an employee ownership trust since 2021. It produces illustrated hardback editions of classic fict ...

References

External links

Portrait at Balliol web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keen, Maurice 1933 births 2012 deaths British medievalists Fellows of Balliol College, Oxford Fellows of the British Academy Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Officers of the Order of the British Empire

Selected works

See also

References

External links