On Friday 24 November the Royal Historical Society held its Anniversary General Meeting (AGM) at Mary Ward House, London. The AGM was followed by the 2023 Presidential Lecture, ‘European Exploration, Empires, and the Making of the Modern World’, given by the Society’s President, Professor Emma Griffin (Queen Mary University of London).

The AGM saw the appointment of following to the Society’s governing Council: Professor Clare Griffiths (Cardiff) as Vice President; Dr John Law as Treasurer; Professor Barbara Bombi (Kent) as Secretary for Research; Professors Mark Knights (Warwick) and Iftikhar Malik (Bath Spa University) as members of Council.

The meeting also noted the departure from the RHS Council of the following, on completion of their terms of office: Professor Jonathan Morris (Hertfordshire) as Vice-President (Research Policy); Professor Jon Stobart (Manchester Metropolitan) as Honorary Treasurer; Professor Julian Wright (Northumbria) as Secretary for Professional Engagement; and Professor Thomas Otte (UEA) as a member of Council.

In her 2023 Presidential Lecture, Professor Griffin considered British industrialisation in global and European perspective. The lecture compared approaches to innovation and the handling of raw materials, sourced in colonial territories, in Britain and France, tracing the origins of English entrepreneurialism to the early modern period.

Our thanks to all those who attended the event in person and online. A video and audio recording of the lecture will be made available shortly.