Malcolm Barber facts for kids

Malcolm Charles Barber (born in 1943) is a famous British historian. He studies the Middle Ages. Many people say he is the world's top expert on the Knights Templar. The Knights Templar were a powerful group of Christian knights during the Crusades.

Professor Barber wrote two very important books about the Templars. These books are called The Trial of the Templars (published in 1978) and The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple (published in 1994). He has also edited a journal called The Journal of Medieval History. He has written many articles about the Templars, the Cathars, and different parts of the Crusades. He also writes about the time of Philip IV of France.

About Malcolm Barber's Life

Malcolm Barber was born in 1943. He went to Walpole Grammar School from 1954 to 1961. After that, he studied at the University of Nottingham from 1961 to 1966. He earned a top degree there in 1964.

He continued his studies to become an expert. He focused on the leaders of the Knights Templar. He also studied at the British School at Rome for a year. In 1966, he started working at the University of Reading. He became an assistant lecturer there. He earned his PhD, which is a very high academic degree, in 1968.

Professor Barber taught history at the University of Reading in the UK. He was a Professor of Medieval European History. He retired from teaching in September 2004.

His Important Roles

During his career, Malcolm Barber held several important positions. These roles showed his leadership in studying the Middle Ages.

• He was the Director of the Graduate Centre for Medieval Studies at Reading. This was from 1986 to 1989.
• He received special research awards. These included a British Academy Research Readership from 1989 to 1991. He also had a Leverhulme Research Fellowship from 1997 to 1998.
• He was a Senior Fellow at the National Humanities Center in North Carolina. This was from 1998 to 1999.

Editor of Journals

Professor Barber also helped edit several academic journals. These journals publish articles by historians.

• He helped edit Reading Medieval Studies from 1977 to 1985.
• He edited the Annual Bulletin of the Society for the Study of the Crusade and the Latin East. This was from 1986 to 1990.
• He was also an editor for The Journal of Medieval History. This role lasted from 1996 to 2002.

Books by Malcolm Barber

Malcolm Barber has written many books. These books share his deep knowledge of medieval history.

• The Trial of the Templars. This book was first published in 1978. A second edition came out in 2006.
• The Two Cities. Medieval Europe 1050-1320. The first edition was in 1992. A second edition was published in 2004.
• The New Knighthood. A History of the Order of the Temple. This book came out in 1994.
• Crusaders and Heretics, Twelfth to Fourteenth Centuries. Collected Studies. This collection was published in 1995.
• The Cathars. Dualist Heretics in Languedoc in the High Middle Ages. This book was published in 2000.
• The Crusader States. This book was published in 2012.

Books He Edited

Besides writing his own books, Professor Barber also edited books by other historians.

• The Military Orders. Fighting for the Faith and Caring for the Sick. This book was published in 1994.
• The Templars, which he edited with K. Bate. This book came out in 2002.
• The History of the Holy War. Ambroise's Estoire de la Guerre Sainte, in two volumes. He edited this with M. Ailes in 2003.