We are pleased to announce our lecture programme for 2026-27.
Tuesday 15 Sept 2026
Summer of Fire and Blood: The German Peasants’ War
Prof. Lyndal Roper, Emeritus Regius Professor of History, Oriel College, University of Oxford.
We start the programme by looking at one of Europe’s most explosive mass uprisings. In 1525, central Europe erupted as hundreds of thousands of peasants revolted against feudal oppression, and brutal retaliation followed. Guiding us through this “summer of fire and blood” is Lyndal Roper, Emeritus Regius Professor of History at Oxford. A world-renowned expert on early modern Germany and the Reformation, Professor Roper will cover the radical ideas, tragic violence, and lasting scars of a revolution that shook Christendom to its core.
Saturday 10 Oct 2026
West Surrey Branch Inaugural Quiz
We will be holding our first branch Quiz Night this October. We hope that lots of you will come along for what should be a fun evening and a good social occasion, with family and friends also welcome. Please let Leonie know if you can make it – leonievolmarshall@gmail.com.
Tuesday 13 Oct 2026
“We hold these truths”: Reinterpreting the Declaration of Independence
Prof. Max Edling, Professor of Early American History, King’s College London.
The 1776 Declaration of Independence is sometimes viewed as an idealistic celebration of universal liberty, but what if its primary goals were actually rooted in international law and state survival? Professor Max Edling, a leading authority on early American state-building from King’s College London, will invite us to look past the familiar rhetoric. His research reframes the American Revolution not just as a fight for freedom, but as a pragmatic effort to create a powerful nation-state capable of defending itself. This lecture will offer a fresh, thought-provoking perspective on a foundational text.
Tuesday 17 Nov 2026
Grain Millers in English popular politics, 1315-1815: adultery, adulteration and profiteering
Prof. Mike Braddick, Senior Research Fellow, All Souls College, University of Oxford.
For centuries, the local miller was one of the most vital and deeply distrusted figures in English village life. Accused of everything from inflating prices to mixing chalk into flour, millers occupied a unique and scandalous space in the popular imagination. Professor Mike Braddick, a Senior Research Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford, and a leading expert on early modern popular politics and protest, will unravel this fascinating 500-year history. Through tales of economic anxiety, moral outrage, and local riots, this lecture will explore how the figures controlling the daily bread were central to England’s evolving political and social dynamics.
Tuesday 8 Dec 2026
Why Should we Care about the Wars of the Roses nowadays?
Prof. John Watts, Professor of Later Medieval History, Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford.
The Wars of the Roses are sometimes romanticized as a dramatic, blood-soaked Shakespearean soap opera, but their historical reality runs much deeper. John Watts, Professor of Later Medieval History at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, will unpack why this brutal 15th-century dynastic conflict still matters to us today. An expert in late-medieval political culture and governance, he will go beyond the popular myths of York versus Lancaster and reveal how these wars exposed fundamental vulnerabilities in the British state, shaping political power, propaganda, and societal structures.
Tuesday 12 Jan 2027
The Graham Searle Lecture – Rethinking Henry VIII’s Reformation
Prof. Lucy Wooding, Professor of History, Lincoln College, University of Oxford.
Henry VIII’s break with Rome is one of the most famous turning points in British history, yet its religious reality was far messier than traditional narratives suggest. For the annual Graham Searle Lecture, in memory of our former branch Chair and President, Professor Lucy Wooding of Lincoln College, Oxford, will challenge us to rethink the English Reformation. As an acclaimed authority on Tudor religious identity and culture, she will explore how ordinary people experienced this spiritual upheaval. Moving away from top-down political drama, this lecture will illuminate a complex landscape of shifting beliefs, compromise, and resilience, offering a deeply human perspective on a seismic historical transformation.
Tuesday 9 Feb 2027
The African Abolitionism: The Rise and Transformations of Anti-Slavery in Africa
Prof. Benedetta Rossi, Professor of History, University College London.
While global histories of abolition frequently focus on Western activists, a vital and distinct history of anti-slavery emerged from within Africa itself. Professor Benedetta Rossi, a scholar of African history and emancipation at University College London, will guide us through this crucial, overlooked narrative. Her extensive research tracks how African societies, thinkers, and enslaved individuals actively resisted, adapted, and dismantled systems of bondage from the pre-colonial era into the 20th century. This lecture will broaden our understanding of human rights history, highlighting the diverse, internal dynamics of freedom movements across the African continent.
Tuesday 9 March 2027
Crucible of Light: Islam and the forging of Europe
Dr. Elizabeth Drayson, Emerita Fellow in Spanish, Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge.
Western civilization is frequently described as having purely Judeo-Christian roots, but this narrative completely ignores the profound impact of Islamic culture on the European continent. Dr. Elizabeth Drayson, an Emerita Fellow in Spanish at the University of Cambridge, illuminates the vibrant history of Al-Andalus. A specialist in medieval Iberian cultural history, Dr. Drayson demonstrates how centuries of Islamic rule, scholarship, architecture, and scientific innovation fundamentally shaped the intellectual and cultural landscape of Europe. This lecture reframes European identity, revealing a shared, interconnected past that continues to influence our world today.
Tuesday 6 April 2027
Feeding Medieval England
Prof. Helena Hamerow, Professor of Early Medieval Archaeology, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford.
How did a medieval society feed itself through changing climates, plagues, and shifting political landscapes? Professor Helena Hamerow, an expert in Early Medieval Archaeology at the University of Oxford, reconstructs the daily realities of medieval agriculture. By analyzing fascinating archaeological breakthroughs, from ancient crop seeds to animal bone fragments, she moves beyond elite court records to show how everyday peasants revolutionized farming techniques and diets. This lecture will look at the complex food supply chains, environmental adaptations, and rural innovations that physically sustained England through centuries of dramatic upheaval.
Tuesday 11 May 2027
Pet Revolution: Animals and the Making of Modern British Life
Prof. Jane Hamlett, Professor of Modern British History, Royal Holloway, University of London.
Today, Britain is known as a nation of animal lovers, but our deep emotional bond with domestic pets is a surprisingly modern phenomenon. Professor Jane Hamlett, a specialist in Modern British History at Royal Holloway, University of London, will take us on a fascinating journey through the “Pet Revolution.” Exploring the 19th and 20th centuries, she will examine how animals moved from working roles into the heart of the British home. This social history will reveal how our changing relationships with dogs, cats, and birds fundamentally shaped modern concepts of family, morality, and domestic life.