Jonathan Simon Christopher Riley-Smith (27 June 1938 – 13 September 2016) was a historian of the Crusades,[1] and, between 1994 and 2005, Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge.[2] He was a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.[3] He has been described as "quite simply the leading historian of the crusades anywhere in the world".[4]
Early life
Riley-Smith was the eldest of four children born into a prosperous Yorkshire brewing family. His maternal grandfather (to whose memory he later dedicated his book What Were the Crusades?) was the British Conservative Party MP, John Craik-Henderson (1890-1971).[5] He attended Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he took his BA (1960), MA (1964), PhD (1964), and LittD (2001).[6]
Academic career
Riley-Smith taught at the University of St Andrews (1964–1972), Queens' College, Cambridge (1972-1978), Royal Holloway College, London (1978–1994) as well as at Emmanuel (1994–2005).[2][3] His many publications focus on the origins of the crusading movement and the motivations of the first crusaders, and suggests that the First Crusade was primarily inspired by religious idealism, penitence, and sympathy for eastern Christians rather than a desire for material gains.[7]
He was appointed a Knight of Grace and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and a Bailiff Grand Cross of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem.[8]
Riley-Smith appeared in the documentary series Crusades (1995) as an historical authority. However, the series adopted the views of Steven Runciman, which were not held by Riley-Smith. The producers then edited the taped interviews so that the historians seemed to agree with Runciman. Riley-Smith said of the producers that "they made me appear to say things that I do not believe!"[9] In 2006, he delivered the Gifford Lectures on The Crusades and Christianity at the University of Edinburgh.[10]
Personal life
Riley-Smith was a convert to Catholicism.[6] He married Marie-Louise Field, a portrait artist, in 1968.[11][12] Their three children include the singer/songwriter Polly Paulusma.
Jonathan Riley-Smith died on 13 September 2016.[13] Marie-Louise Riley-Smith died in 2026.[14]
References
- 1.Andy Soltis; Richard Johnson (5 May 2005). "Knight Clubbing - Historians' Jihad Vs. 'Heaven'". New York Post. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
- 2.[2.2]Jonathan Phillips (19 September 2016). "An appreciation of the great historian of the Crusades". History Today Ltd. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- 3.[3.2]George Garnett (6 October 2016). "Jonathan Riley-Smith obituary". Scholar of the Crusades whose books promoted the public’s interest in his subject. The Guardian, London. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- 4.David Abulafia (August 2017). "Obituary: Jonathan Riley-Smith 1938-2016". History at Cambridge. 9. Faculty of History, Cambridge: 10.
- 5.Jonathan Riley-Smith (21 April 2009). What Were the Crusades?. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-137-14250-4.
- 6.[6.2]"Jonathan Riley-Smith, historian of the medieval Crusades - obituary". The Telegraph. Daily Telegraph, London. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- 7."Jonathan Riley-Smith on the Motivations of the First Crusaders | Andrew Holt, Ph.D". Apholt.com. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- 8."Order of St John". The Gazette. 22 April 2013. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- 9.Thomas F. Madden. "Crusade Myths". Ignatius Insight. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- 10."Gifford Lectures". ed.ac.uk. University of Edinburgh. 23 May 2024.
- 11."Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- 12."Cambridge colleges head porters in portrait show". BBC News. 4 June 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
- 13."Professor Jonathan Riley-Smith 1938-2016". Cambridge University. 14 September 2016. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- 14."Riley-Smith". The Telegraph. 13 June 2026.