Which Oxford title did J.R.R. Tolkien hold from 1945 to 1959?

From 1945 to 1959, J.R.R. Tolkien held the title Merton Professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford University.

Tolkien joined Oxford’s academic world after studying classics and English at Exeter College. Before taking the Merton chair, he was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College, Oxford, from 1925 to 1945. His scholarship focused strongly on language, medieval literature, and Old English texts.

The Merton professorship came during the period when Tolkien was working on and publishing The Lord of the Rings. He continued teaching and writing while developing his fictional languages and mythology. He retired from the chair in 1959, although his literary work and scholarly reputation continued to grow.

A frequent mistake is to call Tolkien an Oxford professor of mythology. His academic appointments were in English language and literature, especially the historical and medieval forms of the field.