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Emeritus Regius Professor of History wins Holberg Prize
18 March 2026
Professor Lyndal Roper describes study of the humanities as ‘crucial’ in the age of artificial intelligence as she is named the 2026 Holberg Laureate
Professor Lyndal Roper, the latest academic to hold the prestigious Regius Chair in History at Oxford University, has been named as the 2026 Holberg Laureate.
The Holberg Prize is one of the largest annual international prizes recognising academic contributions to the humanities, social sciences, law and theology.
Reflecting on the prize, Roper described the study of the humanities as “crucial, and now more than ever in the age of AI”.
She added that studying the humanities “makes you interrogate the relationship between evidence and argument.
“If we don’t have this skill, we can’t critically question the answers AI seems to produce.”
Roper was the Regius Professor of History until her retirement in September 2025.
She was appointed to the 300-year old History chair in 2011 and has published books about Martin Luther, gender, witchcraft and the German Peasants’ War of 1525.
As the Regius Professor of History, Roper was a Fellow of Oriel College.
Lord Mendoza, Oriel College’s Provost, said: “We’re extremely proud of our Emeritus Regius Professor of History, Professor Lyndal Roper, for her well-deserved recognition as the 2026 Holberg Laureate.
“The prize is one of the most significant honours in the humanities and social sciences and recognises Lyndal’s impressive contributions to the study of history.”
Throughout her career, Roper has focused less on grand narratives than on the voices and lives of ordinary people, and in particular women.
“Over the course of my career, I’ve been trying to do history from below,” she said. “I wanted new historical narratives that were not about great men and giant events.”
Dr Tom Johnson, Catto Fellow in History at Oriel, said that Roper’s work “has helped revolutionise our understanding of early-modern Europe”.
He added: “By pointing to the importance of the body, gender, and the psyche in the experience of religious change, she has repeatedly brought new insight to historical and methodological debates, both within her own field and beyond.
“This prestigious prize is richly deserved.”
Roper’s latest book, Summer of Fire and Blood, provides an account of the German Peasants’ War of 1524–25, Europe’s largest popular uprising before the French Revolution.
In 2025, the book won the Cundill History Prize from McGill University.
The Norwegian Parliament established the Holberg Prize in 2004 and previous Holberg Laureates include Jürgen Habermas, Martha Nussbaum and Paul Gilroy.
Roper will collect the prize during a ceremony at the University of Bergen on 4 June.
Sigrun Aasland, Norway’s Minister of Research and Higher Education, congratulated Roper on behalf of the Norwegian government.
“Her research offers new perspectives on European history and shows how ideas and beliefs from the past continue to shape us today,” Aasland said.
“Roper’s work demonstrates why the humanities are essential for understanding the society we live in.”
Roper became an Emeritus Fellow of Oriel College following her retirement.