International honour for Professor Alan V. Murray
Alan V. Murray, Professor of Medieval European History in the School of History, has received an honorary doctorate from the University of Tartu in Estonia.
The honour was made in recognition of his research and editorial work in Estonian history. The degree was conferred on 1 December 2025, at a ceremony held to mark the 106th anniversary of the establishment of the University of Tartu as an Estonian-language institution, in succession to the older academy founded by the King of Sweden in 1632.
The citation (translated from the original Latin) states that Murray has been honoured “for his outstanding work in Medieval Studies, introducing Estonian history to the world, and fruitful collaboration with University of Tartu researchers”.
He explains, “Soon after I began teaching at Leeds, the Baltic countries regained their independence, which led to renewed interest in their history, both modern and medieval. I thought that it would be illuminating to take part in this renaissance of Baltic history, but on investigating library holdings in Leeds I found only five relevant books in English! So I began to research and publish on the processes of crusade and settlement which brought the medieval Baltic countries into the wider Catholic world, and eventually was able to teach an undergraduate module on the Baltic crusades, while also developing important collaborations with medievalists in Estonia”.
Murray’s edited collections include Crusade and Conversion on the Baltic Frontier, 1150–1500 (Routledge, 2001), The Clash of Cultures on the Medieval Baltic Frontier (Routlege, 2009) and The North-Eastern Frontiers of Medieval Europe (Routledge, 2014). His most recent work is Medieval Livonia: History, Society and Economy of a Territory on the Baltic Frontier (Brepols, 2025), co-edited with Anti Selart, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Tartu, which is the first general English-language history of the territories covering the areas of modern Estonia and Latvia.
Read more about Professor Murray’s research in the citation on the University of Tartu website. You can also read more in his profile on the University of Leeds website.
Image credit
Professor Murray receives his doctoral degree certificate and commemorative medal from the rector of the University of Tartu, Professor Toomas Asser. Photo: Andres Tennus/University of Tartu; used with permission.
