George Burton Adams

author

George Burton Adams

1851–1925

A leading American medieval historian, he helped shape how English constitutional history was taught in the United States. His books and long career at Yale made him an important bridge between nineteenth-century scholarship and modern historical study.

1 Audiobook

The History of England from the Norman Conquest to the Death of John (1066-1216)

The History of England from the Norman Conquest to the Death of John (1066-1216)

by George Burton Adams

About the author

Born in Fairfield, Vermont, on June 3, 1851, George Burton Adams studied at Beloit College and later at Yale. Although he first prepared for the ministry, he turned to history and eventually built his academic career around medieval and English constitutional history.

Adams spent much of his professional life at Yale, where he became one of the best-known American historians of the Middle Ages. He was especially interested in the development of political institutions and is remembered for works such as Civilization During the Middle Ages and The Origin of the English Constitution. His writing helped bring European medieval history to a wider American audience.

He died in New Haven, Connecticut, on May 26, 1925. Remembered as a careful scholar and influential teacher, Adams played a significant role in establishing medieval history as a serious field of study in American universities.