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 st ...

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 ...

. His father had been the Oxford University head of finance ('Keeper of the University Chest') and a fellow of Balliol College, Oxford, and after schooling at Winchester College, Maurice became an undergraduate there in 1954. He was a contemporary and lifelong friend of

Tom Bingham Sir Thomas Henry Bingham, Baron Bingham of Cornhill, (13 October 193311 September 2010), was an eminent British judge who was successively Master of the Rolls, Lord Chief Justice and Senior Law Lord. He was described as the greatest lawyer ...

, 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 ...

, as well as of the military historian, Sir John Keegan, 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, 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 for his book ''Chivalry''. The book redefined in several ways the concept of chivalry, 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, 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. He appears in the 1989 fictional novel '' The Negotiator'' by Frederick Forsyth. He was an enthusiastic governor of Blundell's School 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 Univers ...

* (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 book ...

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

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