Edward Augustus Freeman was a prominent nineteenth-century English historian, architectural artist, and Liberal politician. Born in 1823, he established a distinguished academic career, eventually securing the prestigious position of Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford. Throughout his life, Freeman was a highly prolific author, publishing 239 distinct works that contributed significantly to the historical scholarship of his era.
Freeman's academic legacy is most famously defined by his magnum opus, The History of the Norman Conquest of England, which was published in six volumes between 1867 and 1879. Beyond his work on English history, he also embarked on an extensive study of Mediterranean history, writing the History of Sicily. His daughter Margaret married the archaeologist Arthur Evans, who had been Freeman's student at Oxford. This familial connection blossomed into a professional partnership, and Evans collaborated with Freeman on the fourth volume of the Sicilian history.
In addition to his academic and literary pursuits, Freeman was actively involved in contemporary politics and international affairs. He ran as a Liberal candidate for Parliament and engaged in political activism abroad. Alongside his son-in-law Arthur Evans, Freeman became a vocal supporter and activist in the Balkan uprising of Bosnia and Herzegovina against the Ottoman Empire between 1874 and 1878. He passed away in 1892, leaving behind a vast body of historical and architectural writing.
