Ann Lambton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Ann Katharine Swynford Lambton (1912-02-08)8 February 1912 |
| Died | 19 July 2008(2008-07-19) (aged 96) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | SOAS University of London |
| Occupation | Historian |
Ann Katharine Swynford Lambton,OBE, FBA (8 February 1912 – 19 July 2008), usually known asA.K.S. Lambton or "Nancy" Lambton,[1] was a British historian, expert on medieval and early modernPersian history,Persian language,Islamic political theory, and Persian social organisation. She was an acknowledged authority onland tenure andreform inIran (includingSaljuq,Mongol,Safavid andQajar administration and institutions, and local and tribal histories).
Lambton was born in 1912 inNewmarket, Suffolk.[2] She was the elder daughter of the Hon.George Lambton, younger son of the2nd Earl of Durham) and his wife Cicely Margaret Horner (1882–1972). Through the influence ofEdward Denison Ross, a family friend, she studied Persian atSOAS under Ross andHamilton Gibb, and others (Arthur Tritton,Vladimir Minorsky, andHassan Taqizadeh).[3]
From 1939 to 1945, Lambton was Pressattaché of the BritishLegation toTehran, and then Professor of Persian at SOAS from 1953 to 1979, succeedingArthur Arberry as holder of that chair. In 1942, she was awarded the OBE and, later, honoraryDLitt degrees from theUniversity of Durham and theUniversity of Cambridge. She was also an honorary fellow ofNew Hall, Cambridge, SOAS and the University of London. She wrote several books on subjects ranging from Persian grammar and vocabulary toQajar land reform. Ann Lambton played a role in the overthrow ofMohammed Mossadegh. After the decision to nationalize Iran's oil interests in 1951, she advised the British government to undermine the authority of Mossadegh's regime. She proposed that Oxford University professorR. C. Zaehner should go to Iran and begin covert operations. In 1953, with the help of the CIA, the regime of Mossadegh was overthrown and the Shah,Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, was restored to the throne.[4][5]
As Professor Emeritus of theDiocese of Newcastle and Chairman of the Iran Diocesan Association, Lambton served on the Middle East Committee and advised Archbishops on inter-faith matters. She delivered Lent lectures biannually to clergy and laity for many years. She was later awarded theCross of St Augustine in 2004 by theArchbishop of Canterbury in acknowledgement of her work and commitment to Christianity and the Church of England. She was an honorary Life Member of theMiddle East Studies Association of North America. At theUniversity of Durham, the Centre of Iranian Studies has instituted an annual Prof. A. K. S. Lambton honorary lectureship. Prof. Lambton delivered the inaugural lecture in this series in 2001.
Lambton died at her home inWooler,[2] Northumberland, on 19 July 2008 at the age of 96 after a long illness.[6]
