Bryce Lyon

Bryce Dale Lyon (April 22, 1920 – 2007) was an American medievalist who taught at the University of Colorado, Harvard University, the University of Illinois, the University of California at Berkeley and Brown University. By the end of his career, Lyon wrote, co-authored, or edited over twenty books; published over fifty scholarly articles; and wrote over one hundred book reviews.

Early life and education

Bryce Dale Lyon was born April 22, 1920, in Bellevue, Ohio, to E. Paul Lyon and Florence Gundrum. The wealth of Bellevue contributed to the creation of Standard Oil.

In 1942 Lyon obtained a B.A. in history, graduating summa cum laude from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio.

In June 1946, Lyon and his wife Mary moved to Ithaca, New York, to attend Cornell University for his Ph.D. in history. The luminaries at Cornell University allowed Lyon to pursue both ancient and medieval history. Professor Carl Stephenson, an eminent medievalist, became Lyon's thesis director. Lyon also received a minor in ancient history with Professor M.L.W. Laistner and a minor in political theory with Professor George H. Sabine.

Professor Stephenson introduced Lyon to Henri Pirenne's writings. Henri Pirenne, a renowned Belgian medieval historian, theorized the Roman Empire ended when subsistence living replaced trade. Pirenne believed trade first reappeared in the Low Countries. According to Pirenne, this trade explains why many institutions from Middle Ages started in the Low Countries. Building upon Pirenne's theories, Stephenson suggested Lyon write his thesis on feudalism. Lyon narrowed his thesis to The Money Fief Under the English Kings, 1066-1485.

Career

After earning his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1949, Lyon accepted a position in the history department at the University of Colorado. In 1954 Lyon compiled and edited a volume of Carl Stephenson's finest articles, Medieval Institutions: Selected Essays by Carl Stephenson, Fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Fellow of the Belgian Royal Historical Society Festschrift honoring Bryce Lyon's life: Comparative Perspectives on History and Historians: Essays in Memory of Bryce Lyon (1920–2007) Visiting Member, Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton