Richard Bonney (1947–4 August 2017) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

historian and priest. He was appointed Lecturer in European 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 ...

in 1971 and Professor of Modern History at the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_lab ...

in 1984, a post from which he retired in 2006. He was the founder of the

Society for the Study of French History The Society for the Study of French History (SSFH) is a society in the United Kingdom established to promote research in French history. The society was founded in 1968 by Richard Bonney and granted charitable status in 1992. It publishes the ...

in the UK and the founding Editor of its Journal,

French History The first written records for the history of France appeared in the Iron Age. What is now France made up the bulk of the region known to the Romans as Gaul. The first writings on indigenous populations mainly start in the first century BC. Greek ...

, between 1987 and 2001

He is ''Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques'' for services to French culture. He was educated at

Whitgift School ("He who perseveres, conquers") , established = , closed = , type = Independent school , religious_affiliation = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head Master , head = Christopher Ramsey , c ...

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

, Surrey. Bonner's first degree was 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 ...

. He submitted his

D.Phil. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

on the intendants of Cardinal Richelieu and

Cardinal Mazarin Cardinal Jules Mazarin (, also , , ; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino () or Mazarini, was an Italian cardinal, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Louis XIII and Louis X ...

(1624-1661) in 1973, which was subsequently revised and published as ''Political Change in France under Richelieu and Mazarin, 1624-1661'' by Oxford in 1978. Numerous other publications on

French history The first written records for the history of France appeared in the Iron Age. What is now France made up the bulk of the region known to the Romans as Gaul. The first writings on indigenous populations mainly start in the first century BC. Greek ...

and European fiscal history followed. He published: ''The King’s Debts. Finance and Politics in France, 1589-1661'' (1981); ''Society and Government in France under Richelieu and Mazarin, 1624-61'' (1988); ''L’absolutisme'' (1989); ''The European Dynastic States, 1494-1660'' (1991); ith M. M. Bonney''Jean-Roland Malet: premier historien des finances de la monarchie française'' (1993); (ed.) ''Economic Systems and State finance'' (1995; French edn. 1996); ''The Limits of Absolutism in ancien régime France'' (1995); (ed.) ''The Rise of the Fiscal State in Europe, c.1200-1815'' (1989); ith W.M. Ormrod and M.M. Bonney ''Crises, Revolutions and Self-Sustained Growth. Essays in European fiscal history, 1130-1830'' (1989); ''The Thirty Years’ War'' (2002); Harvest of Hatred. The Concerned Citizens' Tribunal Report on Gujarat (2002)'''' ;''Three Giants of South Asia: Gandhi, Ambedkar and Jinnah on Self-Determination'' (New Delhi, 2004). In 1997 he was ordained as a priest in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

. His work on

religious pluralism Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religious belief systems co-existing in society. It can indicate one or more of the following: * Recognizing and tolerating the religious diversity of a society or coun ...

, and particularly his study on ''Jihad from Qur'an to Bin Laden'' (2004), has been frequently cited. In 2008 he published ''False Prophets. The Clash of Civilizations and the Global War against Terrorism'' and in 2009 ''The Nazi War on Christianity: the Kulturkampf Newsletters, 1936-1939''. Together with Tridivesh Singh Maini and Tahir Malik, he published ''Warriors after War. Indian and Pakistani Retired Military Leaders Reflect on Relations between the Two Countries, Past, Present and Future'' (2011).

External links

* OWN, 2014, "Publications with a Whitgiftian Interest: Reverend Professor Richard Bonney (1957-1965)," in ''Old Whitgiftian News,'' 8th ed., 2013–2104, p. 9, se

accessed 11 June 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bonney, Richard 1947 births 2017 deaths Alumni of the University of Oxford English historians 21st-century English Anglican priests Academics of the University of Leicester People educated at Whitgift School