Ian Mortimer (historian): Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 22: | Line 22: | ||
He is best known for his book ''The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England'', first published in the UK in 2008, which became a ''Sunday Times'' bestseller in paperback in 2010. He has also written a sequence of biographies of medieval political leaders: first [[Roger de Mortimer, 1st Earl of March|Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March]], then [[Edward III of England|Edward III]], [[Henry IV of England|Henry IV]] and ''1415'', a year in the life of [[Henry V of England|Henry V]]. In particular he is well-known for pioneering the argument that [[Edward II of England|Edward II]] did not die in Berkeley castle in 1327 in his first two books and an article in the ''English Historical Review''. A synopsis is available [http://www.ianmortimer.com/EdwardII/death.htm here]. |
He is best known for his book ''The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England'', first published in the UK in 2008, which became a ''Sunday Times'' bestseller in paperback in 2010. He has also written a sequence of biographies of medieval political leaders: first [[Roger de Mortimer, 1st Earl of March|Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March]], then [[Edward III of England|Edward III]], [[Henry IV of England|Henry IV]] and ''1415'', a year in the life of [[Henry V of England|Henry V]]. In particular he is well-known for pioneering the argument that [[Edward II of England|Edward II]] did not die in Berkeley castle in 1327 in his first two books and an article in the ''English Historical Review''. A synopsis is available [http://www.ianmortimer.com/EdwardII/death.htm here]. |
||
He also has carried out research into the social history of early modern medicine. His essay 'The Triumph of the Doctors' was awarded the 2004 Alexander Prize by the [[Royal Historical Society]]. In this essay he demonstrated that ill and injured people close to death shifted their hopes of physical salvation from an exclusively religious source of healing power (God, or Christ) to a predominantly human one (physicians and surgeons) over the period 1615–70, and argued that this shift of outlook was among the most profound changes western society has ever experienced. |
He also has carried out research into the social history of early modern medicine. His essay 'The Triumph of the Doctors' was awarded the 2004 Alexander Prize by the [[Royal Historical Society]]. In this essay he demonstrated that ill and injured people close to death shifted their hopes of physical salvation from an exclusively religious source of healing power (God, or Christ) to a predominantly human one (physicians and surgeons) over the period 1615–70, and argued that this shift of outlook was among the most profound changes western society has ever experienced. His first novel ''Sacred Treason'' is published by Headline in August 2010. Written under the penname James Forrester, it is a historical thriller set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth the First. |
||
He is the nephew of the British tennis player [[Angela Mortimer]]. He lives on [[Dartmoor]], in [[Devon]], England. |
He is the nephew of the British tennis player [[Angela Mortimer]]. He lives on [[Dartmoor]], in [[Devon]], England. |
||
Revision as of 15:26, 17 June 2010
Ian Mortimer | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Period | 1995-present |
| Genre | history, historiography |
| Website | |
| http://www.ianmortimer.com | |
Ian Mortimer (born 22 September 1967 in Petts Wood, England, UK) is a British historian. He was educated at Eastbourne College, the University of Exeter (BA, PhD) and University College London (MA). Between 1993 and 2003 he worked for several major research institutions, including the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, and the universities of Exeter and Reading. He is now an Honorary Fellow of the University of Exeter and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
He is best known for his book The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England, first published in the UK in 2008, which became a Sunday Times bestseller in paperback in 2010. He has also written a sequence of biographies of medieval political leaders: first Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, then Edward III, Henry IV and 1415, a year in the life of Henry V. In particular he is well-known for pioneering the argument that Edward II did not die in Berkeley castle in 1327 in his first two books and an article in the English Historical Review. A synopsis is available here.
He also has carried out research into the social history of early modern medicine. His essay 'The Triumph of the Doctors' was awarded the 2004 Alexander Prize by the Royal Historical Society. In this essay he demonstrated that ill and injured people close to death shifted their hopes of physical salvation from an exclusively religious source of healing power (God, or Christ) to a predominantly human one (physicians and surgeons) over the period 1615–70, and argued that this shift of outlook was among the most profound changes western society has ever experienced. His first novel Sacred Treason is published by Headline in August 2010. Written under the penname James Forrester, it is a historical thriller set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth the First.
He is the nephew of the British tennis player Angela Mortimer. He lives on Dartmoor, in Devon, England.
Historical works (selected)
- 1415: Henry V's Year of Glory (The Bodley Head, 2009)
- The Dying and the Doctors: the Medical Revolution in Seventeenth-Century England (The Royal Historical Society, 2009)
- The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: a Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century (The Bodley Head, 2008)
- 'What isn't History? The Nature and Enjoyment of History in the Twenty-First Century', History, 93, 4 (October 2008), pp. 454–74.
- 'Beyond the Facts: how true originality in history has fallen foul of postmodernism, research targets and commercial pressure', Times Literary Supplement (26 September 2008), pp. 16–17.
- The Fears of Henry IV: the Life of England's Self-Made King (Jonathan Cape, 2007)
- The Perfect King: the Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation (Jonathan Cape, 2006)
- 'The Death of Edward II in Berkeley Castle', The English Historical Review, cxx, 489 (2005), pp. 1175–1214.
- 'The Triumph of the Doctors: Medical Assistance to the Dying, 1570-1720', Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 15 (2005), pp. 97–116.
- The Greatest Traitor: the Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, Ruler of England 1327-1330 (Jonathan Cape, 2003)
- Berkshire Probate Accounts, 1583-1712 (Berkshire Record Society, 1999)
- Berkshire Glebe Terriers, 1634 (Berkshire Record Society, 1995)