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Sir Charles William Chadwick Oman (January 12, 1860 – June 23, 1946) was a British military historian
Military history

Military history is a humanities List of academic disciplines within the scope of History recording of War in the Human history, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing Politics and international relationships....
 of the early 20th century. His reconstructions of medieval battles from the fragmentary and distorted accounts left by chroniclers were pioneering. His style is an invigorating mixture of historical accuracy and emotional highlights, and it makes his narratives, though founded on deep research, often read as smoothly as fiction, especially in his History of the Peninsular War.






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Sir Charles William Chadwick Oman (January 12, 1860 – June 23, 1946) was a British military historian
Military history

Military history is a humanities List of academic disciplines within the scope of History recording of War in the Human history, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing Politics and international relationships....
 of the early 20th century. His reconstructions of medieval battles from the fragmentary and distorted accounts left by chroniclers were pioneering. His style is an invigorating mixture of historical accuracy and emotional highlights, and it makes his narratives, though founded on deep research, often read as smoothly as fiction, especially in his History of the Peninsular War. Occasionally, his interpretations have been challenged, especially his widely copied thesis that British troops defeated their Napoleonic opponents by firepower alone. Paddy Griffiths, among modern historians, claims the British infantry's discipline and willingness to attack were equally important.

He was born in India
British Raj

British Raj primarily refers to the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; it can also refer to the period of dominion, and even the region under the rule....
, the son of a British planter, and was educated at Oxford University, where he studied under William Stubbs
William Stubbs

William Stubbs was an England historian and Bishop of Oxford.The son of William Morley Stubbs, a solicitor, he was born at Knaresborough, Yorkshire, and was educated at the Ripon Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated in 1848, obtaining a first-class in classics and a third in mathematics....
. In 1881 he was elected to a Prize Fellowship at All Souls College, where he would remain for the rest of his career.

He was elected the Chichele Professor of modern history
Modern history

Modern history describes the history of the Modern period, the era after the Middle Ages....
 at Oxford in 1905, in succession to Montagu Burrows
Montagu Burrows

Montagu Burrows was an officer in the Royal Navy and subsequently the first Chichele Professor of Modern History at Oxford University. He was probably the very first academic to lecture on naval history at Oxford or at any university in Britain....
. He was also elected to the FBA
British Academy

The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established by Royal Charter in 1902, and is a fellowship of more than 800 scholars....
 that year, serving as President of the Royal Historical and Numismatic societies, and of the Royal Archaeological Institute.

His academic career was interrupted by the First World War, during which he was employed by the government Press Bureau and Foreign Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the Departments of the United Kingdom Government responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs....
.

Oman was a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservative Party, is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom....
 member of Parliament
British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the British monarchy and the House of Lords ....
 for the University of Oxford constituency
Oxford University (UK Parliament constituency)

Oxford University was a university constituency electing two members to the British House of Commons, from 1603 to 1950....
 from 1919 to 1935, and was knight
Knight

File:Gothic armor 2.jpgKnight is the term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. In the Commonwealth of Nations, knighthood is a non-heritable form of gentry....
ed in 1920.

He became an honorary fellow of New College
New College, Oxford

New College is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxfords of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Its official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College, Oxford; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always called "New College"....
 in 1936 and received the honorary degree
Honorary degree

An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements . The degree itself is typically a doctorate or, less commonly, a master's degree, and may be awarded to someone who has no prior connection with the institution in question....
s of DCL
Doctor of Civil Law

Some universities, such as the University of Oxford, award Doctor of Civil Law degrees instead of Doctor of Laws degrees.At Oxford, the degree of Doctor of Civil Law by Diploma is customarily conferred on foreign Heads of State, as well as on the Chancellor of the University....
 (Oxford, 1926) and LL.D
Doctor of Laws

Doctor of Laws is a doctorate-level academic degree in law. What follows is a country-by-country analysis of earned doctorates in law, which are the most analogous to the concept of the LL.D....
 (Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh founded in 1582, is an internationally renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom....
, 1911 and Cambridge
University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge , located in Cambridge, England, is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation university in the Anglosphere....
, 1927). He died at Oxford.

Two of his children became authors. Son Charles wrote several volumes on British silverware and similar housewares. Daughter Carola was notable for her biographies, especially that of Nelson.

Works


  • The Art of War in the Middle Ages
    Middle Ages

    File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
     (1885)
  • "The Anglo-Norman and Angevin Administrative System (1100-1265)", in Essays Introductory to the Study of English Constitutional History (1887)
  • A History of Greece From the Earliest Times to the Death of Alexander the Great (1888; 7th ed., 1900)
  • Warwick the Kingmaker (1891)
  • The Story of the Byzantine Empire (1892)
  • The Dark Ages
    Dark Ages

    Dark Age or Dark Ages is a term in historiography referring to a period of cultural decline or societal collapse that took place in Western Europe between the Decline of the Roman Empire and the eventual recovery of learning....
     476-918    , Period I of Periods of European History (1893; 5th ed. 1905)
  • A History of England (1895; 2nd ed. 1919)
  • A History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages
    Middle Ages

    File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
    , Vol. I: A.D. 378-1278     (1898; 2nd ed. 1924)
  • A History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages
    Middle Ages

    File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
    , Vol. II: A.D. 1278-1485     (1898; 2nd ed. 1924)
  • "Alfred as a Warrior", in Alfred The Great, Alfred Bowker, ed. (1899)
  • England in the Nineteenth Century (1900)
  • History of the Peninsular War
    Peninsular War

    The Peninsular War or Spanish War of Independence was a contest between First French Empire and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Kingdom of Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars....
    , Vol. I: 1807-1809     (1902)
  • Seven Roman Statesmen of the Later Roman Republic (1902)
  • England and the Hundred Years War, 1327-1485 A.D. (1903?), No. III of The Oxford Manuals of English History, Charles Oman, ed.
  • History of the Peninsular War
    Peninsular War

    The Peninsular War or Spanish War of Independence was a contest between First French Empire and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Kingdom of Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars....
    , Vol. II: Jan. 1809-Sep. 1809     (1903)
  • "The Peninsular War
    Peninsular War

    The Peninsular War or Spanish War of Independence was a contest between First French Empire and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Kingdom of Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars....
    , 1808-14", in The Cambridge Modern History, Vol. IX, Napoleon (1906)
  • "The Hundred Days
    Hundred Days

    The Hundred Days marked the period between Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII of France on 8 July 1815 ....
    , 1815", in The Cambridge Modern History, Vol. IX, Napoleon (1906)
  • "Inaugural lecture on the study of history" (1906?), in Oxford Lectures On University Studies, 1906-1921 (1924)
  • The Great Revolt of 1381
    Peasants' Revolt

    The Peasants' Revolt, Tyler?s Rebellion, or the Great Rising of AD 1381 was one of a number of popular revolts in late medieval Europe and is a major event in the history of England....
     (1906)
  • The History of England from the Accession of Richard II. to the Death of Richard III. (1377-1485), Vol. IV of The Political History of England (1906), William Hunt & Reginald Poole, ed.
  • History of the Peninsular War
    Peninsular War

    The Peninsular War or Spanish War of Independence was a contest between First French Empire and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Kingdom of Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars....
    , Vol. III: Sep. 1809-Dec. 1810     (1908)
  • A History of England Before the Norman Conquest (1910; 8th ed. 1937), Vol. I of A History of England in Seven Volumes (1904-), Charles Oman, ed.
  • History of the Peninsular War
    Peninsular War

    The Peninsular War or Spanish War of Independence was a contest between First French Empire and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Kingdom of Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars....
    , Vol. IV: Dec. 1810-Dec. 1811     (1911)
  • Wellington
    Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

    Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Order of the Garter, Order of St Patrick, Order of the Bath, Royal Guelphic Order, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, Royal Society , was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the nineteenth century....
    's Army, 1809-1814     (1912)
  • History of the Peninsular War
    Peninsular War

    The Peninsular War or Spanish War of Independence was a contest between First French Empire and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Kingdom of Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars....
    , Vol. V: Oct. 1811-Aug. 1812     (1914)
  • The Outbreak of the War of 1914-18: A Narrative Based Mainly on British Official Documents (1919)
  • History of the Peninsular War
    Peninsular War

    The Peninsular War or Spanish War of Independence was a contest between First French Empire and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Kingdom of Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars....
    , Vol. VI: Sep. 1812-Aug. 1813     (1922)
  • The Unfortunate Colonel Despard & Other Studies (1922)
  • British Castles (1926)
  • "The Duke of Wellington
    Duke of Wellington

    The Dukedom of Wellington, derived from Wellington, Somerset in Somerset, is an hereditary title and the senior rank in the Peerage of the United Kingdom....
    ", in Political Principles of Some Notable Prime Ministers of the Nineteenth Century, Fossey John Cobb Hearnshaw, ed. (1926)
  • Studies in the Napoleonic Wars (1929)
  • History of the Peninsular War
    Peninsular War

    The Peninsular War or Spanish War of Independence was a contest between First French Empire and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Kingdom of Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars....
    , Vol. VII: Aug. 1813-Apr. 1814     (1930)
  • The Coinage of England (1931)
  • Things I Have Seen (1933)
  • "The Necessity for the Reformation" (1933) (public lecture)
  • A History of the Art of War in the Sixteenth century (1937)
  • The Sixteenth century (1937)
  • On the Writing of History (1939)
  • Memories of Victorian Oxford and of Some Early Years (1941)
  • The Lyons Mail (1945)