De Osma Studentship

De Osma Studentship
Type	Studentship
Awarded for	Research in Spanish studies at the Instituto Valencia of Don Juan, Madrid
Sponsored by	University of Oxford
Location	Oxford, England
Country	United Kingdom
Established	10 July 1920 [1]
Open to	Members of the University of Oxford
Website	www.ox.ac.uk/students/fees-funding/prizes-and-awards/osma

The De Osma Studentship is an academic award of the University of Oxford supporting research in Spanish art, history, language, literature, geography, and archaeology. It provides opportunities for students to work at the Instituto Valencia of Don Juan in Madrid. ^[2]

Established in 1920, it was among the first Oxford endowments devoted to Spanish studies and remains one of the university’s oldest travel studentships. ^[3]

History

The Universities Tests Act 1871 opened the universities of England (Oxford, Cambridge and Durham) to non-Anglicans, including Roman Catholics. ^[3] The first Spaniard to study at Oxford, at Pembroke College, was Guillermo Joaquín de Osma (1853–1922). Osma obtained a first-class degree in modern history. ^[3]

On 15 March 1916 de Osma founded the Instituto Valencia of Don Juan in Madrid. In 1920, de Osma, endowed the University of Oxford with £2,110 to establish a Scholarship for the study of Spanish at the Instituto. ^[4]

Overview

The award is open to undergraduate and graduate members of the University of Oxford of any nationality. ^[2] Candidates must demonstrate competence in written and spoken Spanish and propose a defined programme of study linked to the Instituto. Research typically focuses on areas for which the Instituto provides resources, including Spanish art, material culture, and early historical documents. ^[2]

Administration and tenure

The Studentship is administered by the chancellor of the university and is normally held for at least six weeks, most often during the Easter vacation. As of 2025, awards are valued at about £3,000. ^[2] Holders undertake independent research in Madrid under arrangements with the Instituto Valencia of Don Juan. ^[5]

Notable recipients

• Raymond Carr (1919–2015) – British historian ^[3]
• Alan Forey (born 1933) – British historian ^[3]
• Ronald Hilton (1911–2007) – British-American journalist ^[3]
• Henry Kamen (born 1936) – British historian ^[3]
• George Alfred Kolkhorst (1897–1958) – First de Osma Student. ^[3]
• Jeremy Lawrance (born 1952) – British historian ^[3]
• Anthony Luttrell (born 1932) – Historian of the crusader states and Rhodes. ^[6]
• Inez Pearn (1913–1976) – British novelist ^[3]
• Peter Edward Lionel Russell (1913–2006) – Historian of Iberian studies. ^[7]

References

1. Oxford, University of (1942). Statuta Universitatis Oxoniensis. E Typographeo Clarendoniano. p. 540. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
2. "Spanish studies prizes – De Osma Studentship". University of Oxford. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
3. Pérez de Arcos, Marina (3 May 2020). "Individual, Institution, and Impact: The Untold History of the de Osma Studentship in Spanish Studies at Oxford". Hispanic Research Journal. 21 (3): 276–320. doi: 10.1080/14682737.2020.1874721 . ISSN   1468-2737.
4. Oxford University Calendar. University of Oxford. 1930. p. 141. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
5. Firth, Charles Harding (1929). Modern Languages at Oxford, 1724–1929. Oxford University Press. p. 109. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
6. Setton, Kenneth M. (1985). A History of the Crusades, Volume V: The Later Crusades, 1389–1699. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 526.
7. Goldman, Lawrence (2013). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2005–2008. OUP Oxford. p. 998. ISBN   978-0-19-967154-0.