Peter Linehan

Peter Anthony Linehan (11 July 1943 – 9 July 2020) was a British historian of medieval Spain.^[1][2][3]

He was a fellow of St John's College, Cambridge, where he was Dean of Discipline,^[4] and a fellow of the British Academy.^[5][3]

Life

Linehan was born in Mortlake, London, the son of a brokerage clerk and a teacher, and attended St Benedict's School, Ealing.^[6] He first visited Spain in 1959.^[7] He joined St John's College in 1961 as an undergraduate to study History. He remained at St John's where he became a research fellow in 1966.^[6][8] He completed his PhD on "Reform and reaction: the Spanish kingdoms and the Papacy in the thirteenth century", under the supervision of Walter Ullmann.^[6] This won the Thirlwall Prize and Seeley medal for 1970-1, and formed the basis for his first book, "The Spanish Church and the Papacy in the Thirteenth Century" (1971).^[4][9]

At St John's, Linehan served as a Tutor, Tutor for Graduate Affairs, Director of Studies in History three times, and Dean of Discipline for 11 years.^[10][8]

Linehan was influenced by Walter Ullmann, Christopher Cheney, Raymond Carr, Geoffrey Barraclough, and his tutor Ronald Robinson.^[11][12]

He became a fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 1971^[6][13] and a corresponding member of the Real Academia de la Historia in 1996.^[6][3] He was elected a fellow of the British Academy in 2002.^[5] In 2018, he was awarded an honorary degree from the Autonomous University of Madrid.^[7][14]

Personal life

He died in 2020 aged 76 from heart disease.^[11] He was survived by his wife Christine and their three children, Gabriel, Frances and Samuel.^[4]

Books

• The Spanish Church and the Papacy in the Thirteenth Century (1971)
• Spanish Church and Society, 1150-1300 (1983)
• Past and Present in Medieval Spain (1992)
• History and the Historians of Medieval Spain (1993)
• The Ladies of Zamora (1997)
• The Processes of Politics and the Rule of Law (2002)
• The Mozarabic Cardinal: the life and times of Gonzalo Pérez Gudiel (2004, with Francisco J. Hernández)
• Spain 1157–1300: a partible inheritance (2008)
• St John's College, Cambridge: A History (2011)
• Historical Memory and Clerical Activity in Medieval Spain and Portugal (2012)
• Portugalia Pontificia: Materials for the history of Portugal and the Papacy 1198–1417 (2012)
• At the Edge of Reformation: Iberia before the Black Death (2019)

References

1. "Peter Linehan obituary" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
2. Obituaries, Telegraph (15 July 2020). "Peter Linehan, learned and well-liked historian of medieval Spain – obituary" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
3. Hernández, Francisco J. (12 July 2020). "Peter Linehan, el análisis lúcido de la Edad Media en España y Portugal". EL PAÍS (in Spanish).
4. "'Incisively intelligent' Fellow of St John's dies aged 76 | StJohns". StJohns.
5. "Dr Peter Linehan FBA". The British Academy.
6. Evangelista Marques, André; João Branco, Maria; Farelo, Mário; Vitória, André (31 December 2020). "Peter Linehan, in memoriam: Quatro olhares sobre um historiador" [Peter Linehan, in memoriam: Four Portraits of an Historian]. Medievalista (in Portuguese) (29): 13–48. doi:10.4000/medievalista.4032. ISSN 1646-740X. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
7. "La Autónoma inviste doctores 'honoris causa' a Peter Linehan y a Anil K. Jain". La Vanguardia Madrid (in Spanish). 20 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
8. "St John's launches fund to support new generation of historians". StJohns. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
9. "Peter Linehan, in memoriam". Faculty of History University of Cambridge.
10. "Dr Peter Linehan Fund". StJohns. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
11. Maíllo, José Carlos de Lera (13 July 2020). "A la memoria de Peter Linehan". La Opinión de Zamora (in Spanish).
12. Valero Moreno, Juan Miguel (2008). "Peter Linehan on history and Europe, una entrevista" (PDF). Pliegos de Yuste (in Spanish). No. 7–8. pp. 5–12. ISSN 1697-0152. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
13. "Dr Peter Linehan". StJohns. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
14. "La Universidad Autónoma de Madrid investirá doctores 'honoris causa' a Peter Linehan y Anil K. Jain". elEconomista.es (in Spanish). 18 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2021.