Category: conferences

The annual International Medieval Congress at the University of Leeds is a very special part of the medieval studies year. One of the world’s largest gatherings of medievalists, it features thousands of scholars from all over the world for five days of papers, roundtables, and discussions of all things medieval. For the first time since 2019, the congress will have an in-person as well as a virtual component. Many members of the Medieval Studies Research Group will be taking part. We hope to see you there!

On Monday, 4 July:

• Professor Louise Wilkinson will be moderating Session 206: Noblewomen Network II: Politics, Power Relations, and Strategies.
• Dr Michael Wuk will be speaking about ‘Rites of Passage and Conceptual Monastic Enclosures’ in Session 225. (Michael was the recipient of a 2022 Miriam Czock Fund Busary–congratulations!)
• Dr Renata Ntelia will be speaking about ‘Medieval Playing: the Conception of the Magic Circle within the Games Canon’ in Session 223.

On Tuesday, 5 July, Dr Nicholas Bennett will be speaking about ‘Taming Giants: The Editing and Publication of Some 14th Century Episcopal Registers’.

Wednesday 6 July will be a very busy day for Lincoln medievalists!

• Dr Hope Williard will be speaking about ‘Hidden Heroines: The Appropriation of Women’s Voices in Late Antique Latin Literature’ in Session 1006.
• Dr Anais Waag will be speaking about ‘Marguerite of Provence and a Queen’s Self-Representation as a Political Actor’ in Session 1032.
• Dr Graham Barrett and Dr Rob Portass will be speaking about ‘The Middling Sort: Managing Estates and Expectations in Early Medieval Spain’ as part of Session 1107.
• The first Medieval Studies Research Group sponsored session The Many Borders of English Elites will feature papers from our wonderful PGR students Gary Stephens, ‘Borders between Humans and Animals in the Minds of 13thCentury Theologians’; Katherine Delaney, ‘The Physical and Metaphorical Borders of the Warenne Honour from 1248-1361’; and Lynsey McLaughlin ‘From within the Walls: Bordering and Visitor Spaces at Three English Castle Sites’. The session was organised by Dr Anais Waag and will be chaired by Professor Louise Wilkinson.
• Dr Jamie Wood will be speaking about ‘Formative Spaces: Making Female Ascetics in Early Medieval Iberia’ in Session 1206.
• The second Medieval Studies Research Group sponsored session, Queenship Across the Borders of Space and Time, organised and chaired by Dr Anais Waag, will feature more papers from our amazing PGRs! Susan Phillips will speak about ‘Goiswintha: Distraught Mother or Vindictive Queen?’ and Paula Del Val Vales will be speaking about ‘Issuing, Sealing, and Signing: An Examination of ‘Queenly Chanceries’ in 13th-Century England and Iberia’.
• Professor Louise Wilkinson will contribute to the Roundtable discussion of the new Routledge book series Approaching Medieval Sources (Session 1402).

Last, but not least, on Friday, 7 July, Dr Anais Waag will chair the Session 1606: Teacher, Traveller, Politician and Midwife: the Many Roles of Medieval Women and Professor Louise Wilkinson will chair Session 1701: Editing Medieval Records: Past, Present, and Future.

The conference will feature a number of papers about medieval Lincoln and Lincolnshire:

• Ryan Michael Prescott from the University of Hull will be speaking about ‘The Northern Frontier: Lincolnshire and Yorkshire during the Reign of King Stephen, 1135-1154’, on 5 July in Session 511.
• Session 704: Church and Society in Medieval Lincoln is sponsored by the Lincoln Records Society and takes place on 5 July.
• Kathryn Dutton from the University of Leeds will be speaking about ‘The Evolution of a Cistercian Monastic Boundary: The ‘Close’ at Kirkstead, Lincolnshire, 1139-1299’ on 5 July in Session 728.
• David Kennett will speaking about ‘Building the Great Brick Donjon at Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire: Construction Management in the 15th Century’ on 6 July in Session 1240.
• Tom Revell of the University of Oxford will speak about ‘Lincolnshire as the New Jerusalem: Trans-Locating Sanctity in Old English Hagiographic Poetry’ on 7 July in Session 1529.

With this abundance of riches, it’s worth remembering that all registered participants at the Congress have access to recordings of sessions until 31 August 2022. You can find more information about this here. Whether you are attending virtually or in person (or both!), we hope you have a wonderful conference!

Image credits: “File:Parkinson Building, Leeds University, England-12Sept2010.jpg” by Tim Green from Bradford is licensed under CC BY 2.0. “at the falconry exhihit at the International Medieval Congress #owl #birdsofprey #falconry #leeds” by Alexandra Guerson is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.