Michael Roberts (historian)

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For other persons named Michael Roberts, see Michael Roberts (disambiguation).

Michael Roberts (1908–1997) was a British historian specializing in the early modern period and particularly known for his studies of Swedish history.

Roberts was born in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England and educated at Brighton College. He taught at Rhodes University College in Grahamstown, South Africa from 1935, served in the army in East Africa during World War II and headed the British Council in Stockholm 1944-1946. From 1954 until his retirement in 1973 he was professor of modern history at the Queen's University of Belfast. He also held guest professorships in U.S. universities. He was a member of the British Academy and the Royal Irish Academy.

Although originally working in the area of British history, Roberts soon gained an interest in the history of Sweden and learned the Swedish language during his stay in Stockholm 1944-1946. He made his most significant contributions on the period from the late 16th to the early 18th century when Sweden was a major player on the European political and military scene, but published several studies on later periods in both Swedish and British history. Some of his works on Swedish history are used as textbooks in Swedish universities and several have also been translated into Swedish. In addition, he proposed the concept of a 'military revolution' in the early modern Europe - an idea that, with modification, is still used by historians.

Michael Roberts had several Swedish honours bestowed upon him; among other things he received an honorary doctorate from Stockholm University, and was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities.