Conference: Identifying Governmental Forms in Europe, 1100-1350: Palaeography, Diplomatics and History, 3-4 April, 2017, University of Glasgow

Speakers: Richard Sharpe, Kathryn Dutton, Els de Paermentier, Nicolas Ruffini-Ronzani, Sverre Bagge, Sébastien Barret, Alheydis Plassmann, Alice Taylor, Marie Therese Flanagan, Matthew Hammond, John Reuben Davies, László Veszprémy, Jessica Berenbeim, Fernando Arias Guillén, Dauvit Broun

Where: University of Glasgow, 3-4 April 2017

Cost: Free (although not inc. travel and accommodation)

Register: please email alice.taylor@kcl.ac.uk to register

Brief blurb: The origins of the modern state have long been located in the European central middle ages. But the focus on origins has produced a too-narrow view of what government looked like and what kinds of authorities could govern in the central medieval period. This two-day colloquium brings together scholars from across Europe to expand our understanding of medieval government and the influences brought to bear on its expression. Its methodological focus is history’s so-called ‘auxiliary sciences’ of diplomatics and palaeography, inspired by the research aims lying behind the interdisciplinary research project, Models of Authority: Scottish Charters and the Emergence of Government, 1100-1250 (www.modelsofauthority.ac.uk). Both palaeography and diplomatics are traditionally used in studies of medieval government to illuminate the development of bureaucracy and institutional complexity, but here will also be examined to understand the communication and representation of governmental forms in all their varieties, as well as the interplay between them.

More information is attached. If you have any questions, please email alice.taylor@kcl.ac.uk