CFP: ‘Vassals and Lords: Christians, Muslims, and Jews in the Western Mediterranean (13th-15th centuries)’, deadline 30 June 2026

Madrid, 26-28 October 2026 | Faculty of Geography and History, UNED.

Medieval history has been traditionally dominated by a monarchical and State-centric perspective. Yet the decentralised nature of medieval power demands a broader analytical framework that goes beyond the dichotomy between monarchy and nobility. This conference invites scholars to examine the intermediate tiers of authority −the complex and often negotiated relationships between lords and their vassals of different religions− in the late medieval western Mediterranean.

We welcome proposals from different disciplines (political history, history of art, literary criticism, cultural studies, diplomatics, archaeology, and others) that explore the dynamics of seigneurial power across the Iberian kingdoms −Portugal, Castile, Navarre, the Crown of Aragon and its Mediterranean territories (including those in Italy and beyond). Despite regional variations in jurisdiction and lordship, these areas share structural features that enable meaningful comparison. The conference will focus on the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries, a period in which seigneurial systems reached full maturity and produced diverse forms of authority that was exercised over Christian, Jewish, and Muslim populations. The event moves beyond traditional narratives of power to foreground, through multidisciplinary approaches, the diverse lived realities of vassalage and lordship in the late medieval Mediterranean.

Submission Deadline: 30 June, 2026

For more information about applying, visit the conference website.