Which university appointed J.R.R. Tolkien as Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon in 1925?

The University of Oxford appointed J.R.R. Tolkien as Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon in 1925.

Tolkien took the Oxford professorship after teaching at the University of Leeds. The position placed him at the center of the academic study of Old English, the language of works such as Beowulf. His teaching and research in medieval languages strongly influenced the depth and historical texture of his fiction.

He held the Oxford chair until 1945, when he became Merton Professor of English Language and Literature. Tolkien remained associated with Oxford for the rest of his academic career and wrote much of his major fiction while living and working there.

The title “Anglo-Saxon” in the professorship refers to the historical study of Old English language and literature. It should not be confused with Tolkien’s later Merton professorship, which covered a broader field.