Desmond Atkinson
Discipline: History
Research Centre/Unit: Centre for Medieval Studies
Project Summary
As from October 2013 I studied part-time for a PhD, working on late medieval English history. My supervisor was Prof. James Clark. My thesis was based around the life and work of Dr John Morton (c. 1420 to 1500) who rose from relatively modest beginnings to become Chancellor of England under King Henry VII, as well as Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal, Chancellor of Oxford and Cambridge Universities etc. Not a bad CV! We plan that my thesis will examine various themes surrounding Morton's life such as prelacy and humanism, the changing state of monarchy, education and the evolving nature of government service. These themes will be examined with reference to developments in other European states such as France and Spain. The hope is to open up further areas of research within a period that is too often overshadowed by developments in the sixteenth century.
Supervisory Team
Professor James Clark
Wider Research Interests
The fifteenth century in England and western Europe. The changing relations between church and state in that period.
