At which university did C.S. Lewis hold the first Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature?

C.S. Lewis held the first Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at the University of Cambridge.

The chair was established at Cambridge in 1954, and Lewis became its first occupant. The appointment marked a major change after his long Oxford career at Magdalen College. He moved to Cambridge while continuing to live near Oxford and remained associated with both universities until his death.

Lewis was especially respected for his work on medieval and Renaissance texts, including allegory, literary history, and Christian literature. His scholarly book The Allegory of Love had already established him as a serious academic writer before his popular Christian works made him famous to a much wider audience.

The Cambridge chair is sometimes confused with a general theology post because Lewis wrote extensively about Christianity. It was specifically a literature chair, reflecting his expertise in historical literary periods. He held it until 1963, the year of his death.