What was J.R.R. Tolkien’s official Oxford professorship from 1945 to 1959?

From 1945 to 1959, J.R.R. Tolkien held the title Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at the University of Oxford.

The professorship was based at Oxford’s Pembroke College, where Tolkien taught Old English and related subjects. His academic expertise in languages, philology, and medieval literature strongly influenced the invented histories and languages of Middle-earth.

Tolkien had previously held the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professorship after succeeding Charles Leslie Wrenn. In 1959, he retired from the Oxford chair, although he continued writing, revising, and corresponding about his works.

The title is sometimes shortened to “Professor of Anglo-Saxon,” but the full historical name is more precise. Anglo-Saxon studies included Old English language and literature, the field behind works such as Beowulf, which Tolkien also examined as a scholar.