Alan V. Murray

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Alan V. Murray is a Scottish historian and philologist specializing in the history of the Crusades, medieval warfare and tournaments, and Middle High German language and literature. He is Professor of Medieval European History at the University of Leeds and a former Director of the International Medieval Bibliography (IMB).

Contents

Education

Murray grew up in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, where he attended Galashiels Academy. [1] He studied Ancient, Medieval and Modern History and German Language and Literature at the University of St Andrews, [1] [2] developing his interests on the Crusader States with Hugh Kennedy and literature of the crusades with Jeffrey Ashcroft. [2] and graduating with an M.A. in Medieval History and German in 1980. He taught English at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg [1] before returning to St Andrews in 1981 to undertake a PhD under Kennedy's supervision. [1] [2] His thesis, "Monarchy and Nobility in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem 1099–1131: Establishment and Origins", was completed in 1988. [2] [3] During his doctoral studies, Murray spent 1984–1986 studying History, German and Folk Music at the University of Freiburg in Germany. [2]

Career

In 1988 Murray joined the University of Leeds as Editorial Assistant with the International Medieval Bibliography, [2] [4] gaining promotion in 1990 to Assistant Editor. [2] In 1995 Murray became Editor of the printed version of the bibliography. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] With his colleague Rhiannon Lawrence-Francis he oversaw its digitisation, alongside ongoing print publication, initially for publication on CD-ROM (a project completed in 2000), followed by publication online (first published 2002). [11] : 4  Murray retired from his editorship in 2024 and was succeeded by Dr Melanie Brunner.[ citation needed ] In 1995, while assistant editor of the IMB, Murray founded the journal Bulletin of International Medieval Research . [12] : 134  The Bulletin later merged with Leeds Studies in English to become Leeds Medieval Studies , of which Murray was also an editor; the first volume of the new journal was published in 2021. [13]

Alongside his bibliographic and editorial work, Murray developed his role as a teacher and researcher. He first appears in the University of Leeds Calendar on the board of studies of the Leeds Centre for Medieval Studies (now Institute for Medieval Studies) for the academic year 1990–91. [14] He became Lecturer in Medieval Studies in 2004, [2] advancing to Senior Lecturer, [15] and becoming Professor of Medieval European History in 2023.[ citation needed ] In collaboration with the Royal Armouries, he led development of teaching and research on medieval tournaments at Leeds. [16]

Research

Murray's earliest research was on the composition of the First Crusade (1096-1099) and the early history of the Frankish principalities of Outremer, and was especially informed by prosopographical and pragmatic approaches. He later became interested in the history of the Baltic region, and edited three collections of essays bringing together work by historians in Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, U.S.A. and Canada. In 2011 he received the Vilis Vitols Award, bestowed annually by the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies for the best article published in the Journal of Baltic Studies. He has also published numerous essays on medieval German literature, medieval Flanders, and tournaments. Many of these were written in German, while others have been translated into Estonian, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Slovene and Turkish. His biography of Baldwin of Bourcq, count of Edessa and king of Jerusalem (published 2022), won the J. F. Verbruggen Prize, awarded by De Re Militari: The Society for Medieval Military History "for the best book on medieval military history published within the prior three years". [15] He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and an elected member of the Baltische Historische Kommission. [1]

As a student Murray worked during vacations as a labourer, a tourist guide at Abbotsford House (Melrose), a clerical officer with the Scottish Special Housing Association, and as a musician. He has always been interested in researching and playing traditional music, and plays fiddle, whistle, guitar and Northumbrian smallpipes.

Major works

Author

Editor

Database

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 AHC. "Professor Alan V. Murray | School of History | University of Leeds". ahc.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Dr Alan Murray". Resources for Studying the Crusades. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024.
  3. ↑ Alan V. Murray, "Monarchy and Nobility in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem 1099–1131: Establishment and Origins" (unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of St Andrews, 1988).
  4. ↑ Cf. University of Leeds Calendar (1988–89), part 1, p. 145.
  5. ↑ University of Leeds Calendar (1995–96), part 1, p. 172.
  6. ↑ University of Leeds Calendar (1996–97), part 1, p. 157.
  7. ↑ University of Leeds Calendar (1997–98), part 1, p. 100.
  8. ↑ University of Leeds Calendar (1998–99), part 1, p. 30.
  9. ↑ University of Leeds Calendar (1999–2000), part 1, p. 93.
  10. ↑ University of Leeds Calendar (2001–2002), part 1, p. 91.
  11. ↑ Murray, Alan V. (2001). "Thirty-Five Years of the International Medieval Bibliography (1967–2002)". Bulletin of International Medieval Research. 7: 1–9.
  12. ↑ Hall, Alaric (2022). "Leeds Studies in English: A History". Leeds Medieval Studies. 2: 101–39. doi:10.57686/256204/24.
  13. ↑ Batt, Catherine; Hall, Alaric; Murray, Alan (2021). "Editorial Note: Introducing Leeds Medieval Studies". Leeds Medieval Studies. 1: vii–xi. doi:10.57686/256204/16. ISSN   2754-4575.
  14. ↑ University of Leeds Calendar (1990–91), part 1, p. 153.
  15. 1 2 AHC (2023-06-19). "Dr Alan Murray receives award for his book Baldwin of Bourcq". ahc.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
  16. ↑ "BB Medieval Herald Medieval Tournament". Boydell and Brewer. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
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