Which university appointed C.S. Lewis its first professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature?

The University of Cambridge appointed C.S. Lewis its first professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature.

Lewis took up the Cambridge chair in 1954 after almost thirty years teaching at Oxford’s Magdalen College. The position was associated with Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he became a Fellow and continued his scholarly work in English literature.

His academic specialty was medieval and Renaissance writing, including authors such as Dante, Edmund Spenser, and John Milton. His literary scholarship helped establish his professional reputation independently of the Christian books and Narnia stories that later made him famous to a broad public.

The wording can be confusing because Lewis had spent most of his teaching career at Oxford. Cambridge created the professorship specifically for him, making him its first holder. The Cambridge college is spelled Magdalene, while the Oxford college where he had taught is Magdalen.