Robert Frost

Professor Robert Frost is the Burnett Fletcher Chair of History at the University of Aberdeen, affiliated with the School of Divinity, History, Philosophy & Art History and the Department of History. He has held this prestigious chair since 2013 and previously served as Head of the School (2004–2009) and Head of History at King's College London (2001–2004). A Fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences, he is a leading scholar in early modern European history.

• PhD in History, University of London (1990)
• MA in Modern History, University of St Andrews (1980)
• Diploma in Polish Language and Culture, Jagiellonian University (1981)

His research centers on the history of Poland-Lithuania, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia, with a focus on political unions, state formation, and military history. He is best known for The Oxford History of Poland-Lithuania, a landmark two-volume (now three-volume) study. His work explores noble society, monarchy under the Vasas, and the geopolitical impact of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He also investigates comparative parliamentary cultures and the legacy of early modern warfare.

His recent publications include studies on the Union of Lublin, the Battle of Poltava, and the contested portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie. His articles span journals like Journal of the British Academy, Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, and The Conversation, reflecting both academic and public engagement. Themes across his work include sovereignty, compromise, memory, and the interplay between war and state development.

• Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2021)
• Knight's Cross of the Order for Merits to Lithuania (2020)
• Pro Historia Polonorum Prize (2017)
• Polish Foreign Ministry Prize (2018)
• Benedict the Pole Prize (2019)
• Early Slavic Studies Association Award (2005)
• Fellow of the British Academy (2016)

Frost supervises PhD students on topics including Poland-Lithuania, the Thirty Years’ War, and early modern warfare. He has received major grants, including a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship (2016–2019) and a British Academy/Wolfson Research Chair (2009–2012). As Director of the Research Centre for Polish-Lithuanian Studies at Aberdeen, he fosters international collaborations, notably with the Museum of Polish History and Oxford scholars. His work continues to shape understanding of Eastern Europe’s complex historical legacy.

He leads collaborative projects on comparative parliamentary culture (with Oxford and the History of Parliament) and promotes the study of Polish-Lithuanian history through conferences and publications. His leadership in establishing Aberdeen as a hub for Polish-Lithuanian studies underscores his commitment to interdisciplinary and international scholarship.