A conference is being organised which will examine the nature of aristocratic leadership and direction through three centuries in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The chronological range of the conference is intended to cover both sides of the historiographical divide between late medieval and early modern periods. The attendance of scholars from both eras will allow for the examination of continuities and shifts in aristocratic authority and society over the whole period.
By taking the British Isles as the frame of reference and seeking the participation of experts who deal with the different lands of the archipelago, it is intended to develop a sense of comparisons and variations in the nature of lordship between and within these lands. Individual studies may focus on one of the historic lands of the archipelago or may examine comparisons or connections between different countries.
Within this geographical and chronological framework issues which might be explored include interactions between structures of private lordship and those of royal government and public authority in areas of administration, justice, warfare and identity. Case studies of lordship and noble power in relation to specific regional or local contexts or to individual aristocratic lineages should open up routes of comparison in terms of space and time. The conference will include the examination of all aspects of lordship; the political, cultural, religious, social and economic dimensions of aristocratic leadership and direction as they shaped different parts of the British Isles between 1300 and 1600.
The aim of the conference is to develop a clearer sense of the range, diversity and character of the ideologies and practice of lordship across an era generally regarded as involving radical change in the exercise and presentation of power across the British Isles.
Titles and proposals of up to 500 words are sought by 31 January 2014.
Location: St Andrews (UK)
Contacts:
Dr Michael Brown
University of St Andrews
Dr Alison Cathcart
University of Strathclyde
L'Agenda des Médiévistes 