Background
His father had been the Oxford University head of finance ("Keeper of the University Chest") and a Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford, and after schooling at Winchester College, Maurice became an undergraduate there in 1954.
His father had been the Oxford University head of finance ("Keeper of the University Chest") and a Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford, and after schooling at Winchester College, Maurice became an undergraduate there in 1954.
Keen"s first success came with the writing of The Outlaws of Medieval Legend while still a Junior Research Fellow at The Queen"s College, Oxford 1957 - 1961. He was elected a tutorial Fellow of Balliol in 1961, retaining his fellowship until his retirement in 2000, when he was elected a Fellow Emeritus. He also served as Junior Dean (1963-1968), Tutor for Admissions (1974-1978), and Vice-Master (1980-1983).
The book redefined in several ways the concept of chivalry, underlining the military aspect of lieutenant
Keen was elected a Fellow of the British Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. He appears in the 1989 fictional novel The Negotiator by Frederick Forsyth.
He was an enthusiastic Governor of Blundell"s School in Tiverton for many years, the school being linked to Balliol by a scholarship and fellowship foundation gift.