Patrick Hotle was born and raised in Washington, Iowa. He received his BA in history from the University of Iowa and his M.Phil and Ph.D. from Cambridge University in England. His research interests include Tudor Britain, the Crusades and Medieval Islamic civilization. He published his Thorns and Thistles, Anglo-Scottish Relations during the reigns of Henry VIII and James V in 1996. He has also published educational materials and articles on Turkish and Middle Eastern topics. He presently holds the John Sperry Jr. Endowed Chair of Humanities at Culver-Stockton College.