At which university did J.R.R. Tolkien teach as a professor for most of his career?

J.R.R. Tolkien taught as a professor at the University of Oxford for most of his academic career.

He held several Oxford posts, including the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professorship of Anglo-Saxon and the Merton Professorship of English Language and Literature. His academic work focused especially on Old and Middle English, philology, and medieval literature.

Tolkien first worked at the University of Leeds, but he moved to Oxford in 1925. He remained connected with Oxford until his retirement in 1959 and continued writing, teaching, and participating in scholarly life there.

Oxford also influenced his friendships and literary circles. He was a member of the Inklings, an informal group that included C.S. Lewis. Tolkien’s academic expertise in languages and medieval texts strongly informed the construction of Middle-earth.