Richard Abels (born 1951) is an American educator, historian, and professor emeritus at the United States Naval Academy.
[3][4] Abels' approach to medieval military history focuses upon the influence of culture upon the practice and representation of warfare.
[5] With his wife Ellen Harrison, Abels is also the co-author of an article examining the role played by women in the Cathar heresy based upon a statistical analysis of Inquisitiorial registers.
Bean, became the basis for his first book, Lordship and Military Obligation in Anglo-Saxon England.
In 1982, Abels was hired by the United States Naval Academy as an assistant professor of history.