Charles William Previté-Orton (16 January 1877 – 11 March 1947) was a British

medieval historian 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 ...

and the first Professor of Medieval History at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

on the establishment of the position in 1937.Venn database of Cambridge University offices and officers
/ref> Previté-Orton was born on 16 January 1877 in Arnesby in Leicestershire, the son of William Previté (later Previté Orton), vicar of Arnesby, and Elizabeth Swaffield Orton. After losing an eye at the age of 14, he was not sufficiently well to attend university until 1905 at the age of 28. By that time, he had already published a book of verse entitled ''Cinara and Other Poems'' (1900). A scholar of

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. Th ...

, he was placed in the first class of each part 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 ...

and was elected a fellow of his college in 1911, where he remained for the duration of his life. From 1925 to 1938 he was editor of the ''

English Historical Review ''The English Historical Review'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal that was established in 1886 and published by Oxford University Press (formerly Longman). It publishes articles on all aspects of history – British, European, and ...

''; he 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 ...

in 1929 and was appointed as Cambridge's first Professor of Medieval History in 1937, holding the position until 1942. He died on 11 March 1947. Previté-Orton's major work, in conjunction with

Zachary Nugent Brooke Zachary Nugent Brooke (1883–1946) was a British medieval historian. Life Born on 1 December 1883, Brooke was educated at Bradfield College in Berkshire and St John's College, Cambridge. In 1908, he was elected to a Drosier Fellowship at Gonvi ...

, was to oversee as editor the later volumes of the eight-volume ''

Cambridge Medieval History ''The Cambridge Medieval History'' is a history of medieval Europe in eight volumes published by Cambridge University Press and Macmillan between 1911 and 1936. Publication was delayed by the First World War and changes in the editorial team. ...

'', completed in 1937. However, he achieved his greatest historical influence among general readers rather than scholars through his three general textbooks, ''Outlines of Medieval History'' (1916), Methuen's textbook ''A History of Europe, 1198–1378'' (1937), and the posthumously published '' Shorter Cambridge Medieval History'' (2 vols., 1952). According to

Barrie Dobson Richard Barrie Dobson, (3 November 1931 – 29 March 2013) was an English historian, who was a leading authority on the legend of Robin Hood as well as a scholar of ecclesiastical and Jewish history. He served as Professor of Medieval History ...

, who would some four decades later succeed to the chair of medieval history at Cambridge, In 1913, Previté-Orton married his first cousin, Ellery Swaffield Orton; they had a daughter, Rosalind.The English Historical Review, no. CCXLV, Oct. 1947, Oxford University Press, pp. 433–7

References

1877 births 1947 deaths People from Arnesby British medievalists British historians Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge Professors of Medieval History (Cambridge) Fellows of the British Academy {{UK-historian-stub