Oxford Historian speaks at HPU
By Devon Wilkinson// Staff Writer
History enthusiasts of all ages gathered on Sept. 14 to listen to a lecture by Professor Peter Wilson, one of the world’s leading history professors, who visited High Point University from the University of Oxford.
Wilson has made quite a name for himself in the academic world. He worked previously at the University of Sunderland and Newcastle University before his time at Oxford, and he has extensive knowledge on German history and the history of warfare in Europe.
Wilson is also an accomplished author who has written 12 novels and has been published in eight different languages. His most recent works include “The Holy Roman Empire,” “A Thousand Years of Europe’s History” and “Europe’s Tragedy and History of the Thirty Years War,” which recently earned him the Distinguished Book Award from the Society of Military History.
Wilson is no stranger to HPU, as this visit marks his fourth time on campus. Wilson even joked, “It’s always a pleasure to come here, although this time I really do feel I’ve fallen into the game of Minecraft with all the busy construction going on. All the new buildings are going to make it impossible to find my way out.”
The seminar was titled “The European Fiscal-Military System 1580-1850,” or as Wilson likes to call it, “Making war with resources you don’t have.” Wilson broke the seminar into six separate categories. Each category was divided into different sub-division so that even people without prior history knowledge could follow along as well. Wilson covered everything from fiscal-military systems to the cultural developments that came out of them.
Professor Frederick Schneid, chair of the department of history, said, “Professor Wilson is one of the leading historians in the world. For HPU students to have the privilege of learning from him is something that should not be taken for granted.”
“I’m just really impressed with the outreach and connections that High Point has,” said HPU student Maureen Colman, after attending the seminar. “ It has enabled us to hear from such a respected historian like Professor Wilson.”
There will be other opportunities for students and faculty to attend similar history seminars throughout the semester. Such seminars include the Rothenberg Seminar on Military History which will be take place on Oct. 29.