Sidney Sussex College is greatly saddened by the death of Professor Derek Beales FBA.

Derek had a positive impact on the lives of so many in our community and continued to play an active role in the life of the College until recently. 

Derek Beales completed his BA, MA and PhD at the University of Cambridge, and was appointed as a Fellow of Sidney Sussex College in 1955. 

Having taken up a position as a University Lecturer in History in 1965, he was appointed Editor of The Historical Journal in 1971. He was appointed Professor of Modern History in 1980, a position he held until 1997. From 1984 until 1987 he was a member of the council of the Royal Historical Society. In 1989, he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. 

Derek’s many books include From Castlereagh to Gladstone, 1815-1885 (1969); Joseph II, vol I: In the shadow of Maria Theresa, 1741-1780 (1987); and Monks, nuns and spoilers: European Catholic monasteries in the age of enlightenment and revolution (2002).