About Derek Beales
Lived 1931 – 2023 (aged 92). Derek Beales was a historian and university teacher.
Derek Edward Dawson Beales, FBA (12 June 1931 – 10 July 2023) was a British historian. He wrote the definitive work on the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II.
Born in Felixstowe, he was educated at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he gained a BA in 1953, an MA and a PhD in 1957. He was then Professor of Modern History at Cambridge until 1997.
Works England and Italy, 1859-60 (Nelson, 1961). From Castlereagh to Gladstone, 1815-1885 (Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1969). Joseph II, Volume I: In the Shadow of Maria Theresa, 1741-1780 (Cambridge University Press, 1987). Prosperity and Plunder: European Catholic Monasteries in the Age of Revolution, 1650–1815 (Cambridge University Press, 2003). Enlightenment and Reform in 18th-Century Europe (I.B. Tauris, 2005). Joseph II, Volume II: Against the World, 1780–1790 (Cambridge University Press, 2009).
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Important facts
People in Derek Beales's life
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Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Derek Beales?
British historian
When was Derek Beales born?
Derek Beales was born on 12 June 1931 in Felixstowe.
When did Derek Beales die?
Derek Beales died on 10 July 2023.
What was Derek Beales's occupation?
Derek Beales was a historian and university teacher.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Derek Beales. https://biography.guide/derek-beales/
MLA: "Derek Beales." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/derek-beales/.
Chicago: "Derek Beales." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/derek-beales/.
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