Simon Keynes facts for kids

Simon Douglas Keynes (born 23 September 1952) is a British historian. He is an expert in Anglo-Saxon history, which is the study of England during the early Middle Ages. He was a professor at the University of Cambridge and a fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge.

About Simon Keynes

Early Life and Family

Simon Keynes was born in Cambridge, England, in 1952. He is the youngest of four sons. He comes from a very famous family! His great-great-grandfather was Charles Darwin, who developed the theory of evolution. His great-uncle was John Maynard Keynes, a very important economist.

He went to school at King's College School, Cambridge and The Leys School. Later, he studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he earned his degrees.

Career at Cambridge

Simon Keynes started teaching at the University of Cambridge in 1978. He taught Anglo-Saxon History. Over the years, he became a very respected expert in his field. In 1999, he became the Elrington and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon. This is a special title for a leading professor in this area of study.

He was also a fellow of Trinity College since 1976. This means he was a senior member of the college. From 1999 to 2006, he led the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic at the university. He retired from his professorship on 1 October 2019.

Important Roles and Contributions

Simon Keynes is a member of several important groups for historians. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the Society of Antiquaries of London, and the British Academy. These are groups that recognize top experts in history and related fields.

He also helped edit important books and journals. From 1993 to 2004, he was an associate editor for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. This is a huge collection of biographies of important people from British history. He also co-edited a journal called Anglo-Saxon England, which publishes new research on the Anglo-Saxon period.

In 2017, a special book called Writing, Kingship and Power in Anglo-Saxon England was published to honor him. This type of book, called a Festschrift, is a collection of essays written by other scholars to celebrate a respected academic's work.

Selected Books by Simon Keynes

Simon Keynes has written and edited many important books about Anglo-Saxon history. Here are some of them:

• The Diplomas of King Aethelred The Unready (978–1016): A Study in Their Use as Historical Evidence, 1980
• Alfred the Great: Asser’s Life of King Alfred and Other Contemporary Sources, 1983 (he translated and wrote notes for this book)
• Facsimiles of Anglo-Saxon Charters, 1991
• The Liber Vitae of the New Minster and Hyde Abbey Winchester, 1996