Alexandra Walsham facts for kids

Alexandra Walsham, born on January 4, 1966, is a well-known historian from both England and Australia. She studies a time in history called 'early modern Britain'. This period includes big changes like the Protestant and Catholic reformations.

Since 2010, she has been a Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge. She is also a fellow at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. She helps edit a history journal 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 childhood there. Later, her family moved to Australia.

She studied history and English at the University of Melbourne. There, she earned her first university degrees. In 1990, she received a special scholarship to study early modern history at the University of Cambridge in England.

She did her advanced research at Trinity College, Cambridge. Her supervisor was Patrick Collinson, a famous history professor. In 1995, she finished her PhD degree. Her research paper was about "Providentialism" in early modern England. This idea meant people believed God was directly involved in everyday events.

Academic Career

Walsham started her career as a researcher at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, from 1993 to 1996. In 1996, she moved to the University of Exeter. There, she taught history as a lecturer.

She became a senior lecturer in 2000. In 2005, she became a full professor, specializing in Reformation History. From 2007 to 2010, she led the history department at Exeter.

In 2010, she returned to the University of Cambridge. She became a Professor of Modern History. She also became a fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge. Later, she left Trinity College and joined Emmanuel College.

She is currently the vice president of the Royal Historical Society. She also chairs its General Purposes Committee. She helps edit a series of books called Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History. She is also a co-editor of Past & Present, a journal about social history.

On October 17, 2013, she appeared on the radio show In Our Time. She discussed the Book of Common Prayer. In February 2015, she gave a lecture at the University of Durham. It was about how the Reformation affected everyday life in England. She also gave lectures at University College London in 2015. She gave the important Ford Lectures at the University of Oxford in 2017 and 2018. She is also set to deliver the Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburgh in 2024 and 2025.

Awards and Recognition

Alexandra Walsham has received many honors for her work. In 1999, she became a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS). In 2009, she was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA).

In 2013, she also became a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (FAHA). She was the President of the Ecclesiastical History Society from 2012 to 2013. In 2017, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This award was for her great contributions to history.

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 her book The Reformation of the Landscape, she won the Leo Gershoy Award in 2011. She also received the Wolfson History Prize in 2012 for the same book.