Alexandra Walsham facts for kids

Alexandra Marie Walsham (born 4 January 1966) is a well-known historian from England and Australia. She is an expert in the history of early modern Britain. This period covers roughly the 1500s to the 1700s. She also studies the big changes in Christianity during the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Reformation. Since 2010, she has been a Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge. She is also a special member, called a fellow, at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. She helps edit an important history magazine called Past & Present. She is also a vice-president of the Royal Historical Society.

Early Life and Education

Alexandra Walsham was born in Hayle, Cornwall, England, on January 4, 1966. She spent her early years in England. Later, her family moved to Australia. She went to the University of Melbourne to study history and English. There, she earned two degrees: a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and a Master of Arts (MA).

In 1990, she received a special award called a Commonwealth Scholarship. This scholarship helped her study advanced history at the University of Cambridge in England. She did her advanced research at Trinity College, Cambridge. Her supervisor, or main teacher, was Patrick Collinson. He was a very famous history professor at the time. In 1995, she earned her highest university degree, a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Her big research paper for this degree was about how people in early modern England believed God influenced events.

Academic Career

After finishing her PhD, Alexandra Walsham started her career as a researcher. From 1993 to 1996, she was a research fellow at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. This meant she focused on doing historical research.

In 1996, she moved to the University of Exeter. There, she became a lecturer in history, which means she taught students. She was promoted to a senior lecturer in 2000. In 2005, she became a full Professor of Reformation History. This is the highest teaching rank at a university. From 2007 to 2010, she was also the head of the history department.

In 2010, Professor Walsham returned to the University of Cambridge. She became a Professor of Modern History there. She also became a fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge. Later, she decided to leave Trinity College. She joined Emmanuel College instead.

She is very active in the world of history. She is a vice president of the Royal Historical Society. This is a group for historians in the UK. She also helps edit a major history magazine called Past & Present. This magazine shares new research in social history.

Professor Walsham often shares her knowledge with others. In 2013, she appeared on a radio show called In Our Time. She talked about the Book of Common Prayer, an important book in English history. She also gives many special lectures at different universities. These lectures allow her to share her latest research with other historians and students.

Honours and Awards

Professor Walsham has received many important honours for her work. In 1999, she became a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. This means she was chosen as a special member of this important history group. In 2009, she became a Fellow of the British Academy. This is a very high honour for experts in the humanities and social sciences. In 2013, she also became a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. She was also the President of the Ecclesiastical History Society from 2012 to 2013.

In 2017, she received a very special award from the Queen. She was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This award was given for her great contributions to history.

She has also won several awards for her books. In 2000, she won the Longman-History Today Award. She also won the Morris D. Forkosch Prize for her book Providence in Early Modern England. For another book, The Reformation of the Landscape, she won two more big awards. These were the Leo Gershoy Award in 2011 and the Wolfson History Prize in 2012. These awards show how important and well-regarded her historical research is.

See Also

• List of historians