Susan Doran
Susan Michelle Doran FRHistS (born 7 February 1948) is a British historian who specializes in early modern Britain, especially the reign of Elizabeth I, including marriage and succession. She has published and edited sixteen books, including Elizabeth I and Religion, 1558–1603; Monarchy and Matrimony; and Queen Elizabeth I.
Doran is Professor of Early Modern British History at the University of Oxford and Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College. She was a Fellow of St Benet’s Hall before its closure in 2022. She studied history at St Anne’s College, Oxford, then earned a PGCE and taught at St Paul’s Girls’ School. In 1977 she completed a PhD at University College London on The Political Career of Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex.
From 1986 she taught at St Mary’s University College, Strawberry Hill, where she led the History Department and later became Reader in History. She returned to Oxford in 2002 as a lecturer at Christ Church. In 2004 she became a Fellow of St Benet’s Hall and in 2009 a Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College. In 2016 Oxford awarded her the title of Professor of Early Modern British History. In 2018 she served as acting Master of St Benet’s Hall during a sabbatical.
Doran is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and an Honorary Fellow of the Historical Association. She has appeared in numerous Tudor-history documentaries and podcasts, worked as a historical consultant, and taught courses for Massolit.
She is married to Alan Doran, an economist, and they have two children, including writer Bathsheba Doran, and three grandchildren.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:39 (CET).