In Memory of Thomas F. Mayer

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of one of our authors, Thomas F. Mayer, Professor Emeritus of History at Augustana College. Below, we have posted a few words written by his friend and colleague, Kenneth R. Bartlett. You can also read more about his teaching and scholarship on the Augustana College website.

The Trial of GalileoTom Mayer’s death has silenced one of the most authoritative and articulate voices in Early Modern Studies. Tom’s work at the beginning of his career focused on the role of humanism at the court of Henry VIII, producing a definitive volume on Thomas Starkey in 1989 as well as a new edition of A Dialogue Between Pole and Lupset. This interest in Reginald Pole led to a series of profound studies of Mary I’s archbishop, culminating in his Reginald Pole, Prince and Prophet in 2000, as well as important work on Pole’s correspondence and manuscripts. From there, Tom shifted naturally and seamlessly into his several studies of the institution of the Roman Church: its operation, personnel, structure and mission in the 16th and 17th centuries. In particular, he became interested in the operation of the Roman Inquisition, producing The Trial of Galileo, 1612-1633 in 2012 and, soon after, his monumental The Roman Inquisition:  A Papal Bureaucracy and Its Laws in the Age of Galileo. He had just completed the manuscript of his subsequent volume on the Inquisition at the time of his death; it will appear posthumously.

This catalogue of Tom Mayer’s extensive and brilliant scholarship does not do sufficient justice to the man or the scholar. His work has always been characterized by exhaustive archival research, probing questions and fearless conclusions. His papers at conferences were always eagerly anticipated because of their new insights and cogent, pointed positions. Many of these papers later became journal articles, adding to the already remarkable testimony to the life work of a dedicated and incisive historian. The community of scholars in our field will keenly feel Tom’s loss but rejoice in the work he left behind. Thomas Mayer, Ave atque vale.

Kenneth Bartlett, Victoria College
University of Toronto

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