An omnipresent phenomenon, war was a dominant social fact that impacted every aspect of society in the Middle Ages. Moving away from so-called 'histoire-bataille' that studied war on its own as an isolated succession of battles, historiography has moved towards investigation of how military conflicts influenced the economic, legal, political, religious, and social spheres in the Middle Ages.
After previous meetings held at the University of Leeds in 2016 and the University of Lisbon in 2017, the 2018 edition of the 'Medieval Culture and War Conference' will take place at the Saint-Louis University, Brussels, and will focus on the theme of 'Power, Authority, and Normativity'. We particularly welcome papers discussing how medieval warfare, through the organisation, the techniques, and the discourses it mobilised, contributed to shape power and power relationships – and how these power relations, in turn, could influence the adoption of certain forms of military organisation and techniques of warfare; how it related to the concept of authority; and how it was regulated by changing sets of rules over the period. How did power relationships, ideas about authority, and evolving norms have an impact on medieval warfare in theory and in practice? Interdisciplinary approaches from various theoretical backgrounds (e.g. archaeological, art historical, historical, literary, or sociological perspectives) are encouraged.
Subjects may include, but are not limited to:
- Theory, doctrine, and ideology of war
- War, propaganda, and rulership
- Law and legislation on warfare
- Literature on war and chivalry
- Chivalric ethos and military discipline
- Military justice and violence
- Military organisation, including recruitment, command structures, and logistics
- Warfare and religion
- Gender and war
- Fortifications, weaponry, and technology
- Real and imagined relations between combatants and non-combatants
- Constructions of 'Others' and 'Otherness' in warfare
- Funding of warfare
Keynote lectures
The conference, organised by the Research Centre for the History of Law and Institutions (CRHiDI), will be held at Saint-Louis University, Brussels from 24 to 26 May 2018, and will include two keynote lectures by Justine Firnhaber-Baker (University of St Andrews) and Bertrand Schnerb (Université Lille 3).
Submission guidelines
A publication of selected proceedings is planned.Please submit an abstract of 250-300 words for a 20 minutes paper, or a proposal for a thematic session of three papers, along with a short biography of no more than 150 words, to Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser. by 31 January 2018.
Contributions from postgraduates and early career researchers are encouraged. Please note that the working language for the conference is English.
Brussels Organisation Committee
- Eric Bousmar (Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles),
- Michael Depreter (Université libre de Bruxelles/Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles),
- Philippe Desmette (Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles),
- Gilles Lecuppre (Université catholique de Louvain),
- Quentin Verreycken (Université catholique de Louvain/Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles).
Leeds Organisation Committee
- Sophie Harwood (University of Leeds),
- Trevor Russell Smith (University of Leeds),
- Iason-Eleftherios Tzouriadis (University of Leeds).
