About Dr. Rory Cox
Rory Cox BA, MA (UCL), D.Phil (Oxon), FRHistS is a historian and writer exploring global history, the ethics of warfare, environmental history, and the relationship between humanity and the Sun.
Rory has been based at the University of St Andrews in Scotland since 2011. He is the author of award-winning works, and available for public speaking and commentary.
Rory began his historical career at University College London (UCL) studying Ancient History. He graduated in 2004 with B.A. Hons First Class, receiving several academic awards and an undergraduate research bursary from the British Academy's Institute for Persian Studies.
Rory returned to UCL in 2005 with an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) scholarship to complete a Masters in Medieval Studies, gaining a Distinction.
Winning further AHRC funding, Rory began his doctoral research in 2006 at the University of Oxford, where he received several academic prizes and completed a D.Phil in History in 2010. His doctoral work explored medieval just war doctrine and the pacifism of John Wyclif, a renowned 14th-century theologian, philosopher, and eventual heretic. Rory's doctoral thesis formed the basis of his first book, John Wyclif on War and Peace (2014).
Rory was appointed a Scouloudi Junior Research Fellow at the Institute for Historical Research, London (2009-2010), and spent a year in Wales as Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Aberystwyth (2010-2011).
In 2011, Rory moved to Scotland, taking up the position of Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of St Andrews. In 2014 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Rory has spent time at international research institutions, including a Wallenberg Research Fellowship at the Stockholm Centre for the Ethics of War and Peace (University of Stockholm, 2016), and a Humanities Collaboration Research Fellowship at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the Huntington Library, Los Angeles (2017-18).
Rory was a founding co-editor of the journal Global Intellectual History, and is currently the Chair of the International Ethics Section of the International Studies Association.
Rory is also an Associate Fellow of the Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV).
Engage with Rory
Explore public speaking, podcasts, and commentary on history and ethics with Dr. Rory Cox.
Public Speaking
Available for lectures, discussions, and events on a range of historical topics and military ethics, from the ancient to the modern world.
Podcasts
Join Rory for insightful conversations on history, ethics, and the human experience.
Podcast appearances:
Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee – King Henry V
Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee – King Edward II
The Good Community Podcast – The Military, War, and the Common Good
Visualizing War – The Just War Tradition
Converging Dialogues – Origins of the Just War with Rory Cox
History Hit with Dan Snow – What is a 'Just War'? with Rory Cox
Agnus Podcast – War and Peace in John Wyclif
Making History, BBC Radio 4 (segment begins at 12:18)
Qualifications
D. Phil. History, University of Oxford. Dissertation: ‘War and Politics: John Wyclif in the Context of Fourteenth-Century Political Thought’, supervised by Prof Ian Forrest. 2006-2010
MA Medieval Studies (Distinction), University College London. 2005-2006
BA Ancient History (First Class Honours; Top of History faculty), University College London. 2001-2004
Prizes and Awards
2024: Society for Military History, ‘2024 Distinguished Book Award in Non-U.S. Military History’, awarded to Rory Cox, Origins of the Just War: Military Ethics and Culture in the Ancient Near East (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2023)
2017-2018: Caltech-Huntington Humanities Collaboration Research Fellowship: ‘Violence and Order in the Pre-modern West’. California Institute of Technology & The Huntington Library, California, USA (12-months)
2016: Visiting Research Fellow, Wallenburg Centre for the Ethics of War and Peace, University of Stockholm (1 month)
2014 Elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
2014: Teaching Exchange Fellow, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
2009-2010: Scouloudi Junior Research Fellow, Institute of Historical Research, London (12 months)
2006-2009: AHRC Doctoral Research Award (3 years)
2008: Tutor for Graduates Award, St. Peter’s College, University of Oxford
2007: Aymler Award, St. Peter’s College, University of Oxford
2005-2006: AHRC Research Preparation Masters Award (1 year)
2004: Sir William Meyer Prize, University College London
2003: Joel Hurstfield Prize, University College London
2003: Undergraduate Research Bursary, British Academy Institute for Persian Studies
2003: Ancient History Research Award, University College London
Rory's interest in history has always been inspired by his love of travel and exploring the great outdoors. When not at his desk, you'll find him out walking, cycling, or taking his dog Bertie for a run in the hills.
Rory has completed a number of marathons and ultramarathons, as well as long-distance hiking and cycling routes.
Rory lives in Scotland with his wife and two children.
