At which university did J.R.R. Tolkien teach Old English and later English language?

J.R.R. Tolkien taught at the University of Oxford, including Old English and later English language.

Tolkien held several academic positions at Oxford. He became Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon in 1925 and later served as Merton Professor of English Language and Literature from 1945 until his retirement in 1959. His academic work focused heavily on historical languages, medieval texts, and philology.

Oxford was not merely Tolkien’s workplace. He studied there, lived in the city for much of his career, and formed friendships with writers who influenced his intellectual life. The Inklings, a literary discussion group that included C.S. Lewis, met regularly in Oxford.

The university’s medieval and linguistic traditions helped shape Tolkien’s fiction. His invented languages, names, and histories reflect the methods of a philologist. Tolkien is sometimes described simply as an Oxford professor, but his precise Oxford appointments changed over time and included both Anglo-Saxon and broader English studies.