David d'Avray

Contents

David Levesley d'Avray FBA FRHistS (born 3 February 1952) is a British historian who specialises in the religious and social history of the Middle Ages. He is Emeritus Professor of History at University College London and Supernumerary Fellow in History at Jesus College, Oxford.[1]

Academic career

D'Avray was educated at St Benedict's School, Ealing before beginning his undergraduate studies at St John's College, Cambridge, matriculating in 1970.[2] He completed his doctoral studies at Balliol College, Oxford, in 1976, where his supervisor was Richard William Hunt.[3] He then spent a year as the Michael Foster Memorial Scholar at LMU Munich.[4]

In 1977, d'Avray joined University College London as a lecturer in history. He was promoted to reader in history in 1993 and appointed professor of history in 1996, retiring in 2019.[4] He returned to the University of Oxford as a supernumerary fellow in history at Jesus College in 2022.[5]

Research

D'Avray's early publications focused on medieval preaching as a form of mass communication and as evidence for popular attitudes to monarchy, death and marriage. The next defining theme of his research was the practical influence of symbolism on the social and legal history of marriage in the medieval period. He then moved on to exploring rationalities in history, comparatively and with reference to the Middle Ages, and his most recent published works have focused on the relationship between royal marriage and papal government.[4]

Since 2003 d'Avray has served as a general editor of the Oxford Medieval Texts series at Oxford University Press, which aims to produce scholarly editions of Latin works of significance to medieval European culture.[6] From 1996–2004 he was a member of the editorial board of the journal Reviews in History and has been a member of the editorial advisory board of German History since 2003.[2] He chaired the Medieval Studies section of the British Academy from 2012–2014 and was a member of the editorial committee of its Auctores Britannici Medii Aevi (Medieval British Authors) series from 2005–2016.[4]

Media work

D'Avray has previously written for The Guardian[7] and The Spectator.[8]

Honours and awards

D'Avray was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS) in 1991 and a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) in 2005.[1] Between 1996 and 1998 he held a British Academy Research Readership and in 1999 he won the Distinguished Teacher Award for the Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences at University College London.[2] In 2012 he won a Provost's Teaching Award at UCL.[9] In 2016 he was a Corresponding Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America.[4]

Personal life

D'Avray is married to Julia Walworth, Fellow Librarian at Merton College, Oxford.[10]

References

  1. 1.[1.2]"Professor David L. d'Avray FBA". The British Academy. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  2. 2.[2.2][2.3]"David Levesley d'Avray". Pontifico Comitato di Scienze Storiche. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  3. 3.d'Avray, D. L. (1985). The Preaching of the Friars: Sermons Diffused from Paris Before 1300. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. vii. ISBN 0-19-822772-8.
  4. 4.[4.2][4.3][4.4][4.5]"Professor David d'Avray". Jesus College, Oxford. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  5. 5.Shadbolt, Nigel (2022). "The Principal's Welcome". The Jesus College Record: 5.
  6. 6."Oxford Medieval Texts". Oxford University Press. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  7. 7.Ford, Liz (2 May 2008). "So you want to study: A master's in medieval studies". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  8. 8.d'Avray, David (21 May 2005). "Remembering Douglas Johnson". The Spectator. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  9. 9."The Provost's Teaching Awards: Previous Winners". University College London. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  10. 10.d'Avray, David (2005). Medieval Marriage: Symbolism and Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. vii. ISBN 9780198208211.