Which Cambridge professorship did C.S. Lewis become the first holder of in 1954?

C.S. Lewis became the first holder of the Cambridge chair of Medieval and Renaissance English in 1954. He held the professorship until his death in 1963.

The appointment marked Lewis’s move from Oxford to Cambridge after nearly three decades at Magdalen College. His Cambridge work reflected his expertise in older English literature, especially medieval and Renaissance texts, rather than being a chair devoted primarily to theology or creative writing.

Lewis had already established a reputation as a literary scholar. His studies included The Allegory of Love, published in 1936, and English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, Excluding Drama, published in 1954. The Cambridge professorship recognized that scholarly career.

The title is often shortened in casual references, which can obscure its precise scope. Lewis was not appointed Cambridge’s professor of theology. His chair concerned Medieval and Renaissance English, linking his academic position to the literary history he taught and wrote about throughout his career.