What chair did C.S. Lewis take at Cambridge University in 1954?

C.S. Lewis took the Cambridge chair of Medieval and Renaissance English in 1954.

In 1954, Lewis left his long-standing Oxford post to become the first holder of the newly established chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University. The position recognized his scholarship in older English literature, especially medieval texts, Renaissance writing, allegory, and literary history.

Lewis continued to live near Oxford and retained strong ties to the city, so the move did not represent a complete break with his earlier academic life. His Cambridge appointment also demonstrated that he was respected as a professional literary scholar, not only as a popular Christian writer or children’s author.

He held the Cambridge chair until his death in 1963. The title is sometimes shortened in informal references, but “Medieval and Renaissance English” is the specific name of the professorship. His academic books include The Allegory of Love and English Literature in the Sixteenth Century.