The long-running Institute of Historical Research Military History research seminar has entered into a formal association with the Sir Michael Howard Centre for the History of War at King’s College London and is re-launching in September 2024. (We have requested a change of name to the History of War Seminar, as explained below.) We are a sociable seminar that holds in-person seminars that can also be attended online, fortnightly during termtime on Tuesdays from 17.30–19.00 with a pub social afterwards. The seminars take place alternately at the Institute of Historical Research, Senate House, Bloomsbury and at King’s College London, Strand Campus. Details of this term’s programme and registration links can be found at
https://www.history.ac.uk/seminar/history-of-war
Our first meeting this year takes place on Tuesday 24th September at KCL.
Please note that preregistration is now expected for both in-person and online attendance (if you have not preregistered for the KCL hosted sessions you cannot be admitted to the campus unless you have a KCL security pass). Registration closes on Sunday at midnight before each seminar.
We very much look forward to seeing you at the seminar in the future. Please feel free to circulate this communication to those who may be interested in attending.
Professor William Philpott; Professor Andrew Lambert; Professor Jonathan Fennell; Dr Mark Condos; Dr William Fletcher; Dr Saawani Raje (Seminar conveners)
About the seminar
This seminar, founded in 1958 by Sir Michael Howard at the same time as he developed the discipline of War Studies, has been running at the IHR for over sixty years, for many decades as the Military History Seminar. From 2025 it is proposed to rename it the History of War Seminar. This renaming reflects a developing relationship with the Sir Michael Howard Centre for the History of War at King’s College London founded in 2014 and named in honour of the seminar’s founder. It also acknowledges the increasing scope and diversification of the study of war in the twenty-first century, by theme, region and approach. One of Sir Michael Howard’s greatest contributions to the history of war was his insistence on moving beyond the battlefield and examining the wider political and social contexts in which wars were fought, and what were once considered ‘new military history’ approaches are now established elements of the historiography of wars and armed conflict. The establishment of this seminar was one small seed from which grew a flourishing sub-discipline, whose range thematically, geographically and intellectually has extended to all corners of the historical discipline.
This seminar, which has a long-established ‘work in progress’ tradition, accepts papers from established academics, early career researchers and doctoral students, as well as independent scholars. The seminar covers the historical period from the revolutionary era (post-1780) to the twenty-first century, without restriction to region. We seek papers on the history of military operations and armed forces as well as papers that move beyond operational military history and consider issues of wider relevance to the history of war and its impact: military thought; the theory and practice of land, naval and air warfare; the origins and consequences of armed conflict; strategy and policy in wartime; legal, moral, and philosophical implications of war; war experience and memory; issues of race and gender in wartime; global and comparative dimensions of wars and warfare; innovative approaches to the study of war and conflict.