Research Start Scholarship: Academy-funded Research Project

Forming Europe by Overcoming Schism in the Twelfth Century The research project Forming Europe by Overcoming Schism in the Twelfth Century welcomes applications for a four-month research start scholarship at the research centre based at Aachen (start of fellowship: between 1 December 2025 and 1 February 2026).

With its focus on the Alexandrine Schism (1159-1177) and its overcoming as a significant test for Latin Christendom and the entire European continent, this long-term project identifies and systematically analyses the mechanisms that turned this schism into a formative influence on the development of Europe. The papal schism thus serves as a model case for overarching questions about phenomena of division and crisis and the dynamics and reorganisation of universal unity. For the first time since 1888, all sources relating to the schism (charters, letters, historiography, etc.) will be systematically collected, catalogued and made accessible in the form of digital regesta. The differentiated examination and evaluation of diverse research questions (e.g. tactics and strategies of papal self-assertion or the acquisition of supporters or fundamental communication structures in the conflict) will be rendered possible.

Two departments of history at the universities of Würzburg and Aachen are working closely together in the project, recording, processing and analysing the source material. Furthermore, a digital research platform is also being developed in cooperation with the Cologne Centre for eHumanities (CCeH) which facilitates modern source analysis and in which regesta, key documents and their images are made available to researchers, academic teaching staff, and the interested public.

Your position

The purpose of the scholarship is to support you develop and find a topic for a project-related PhD thesis. It is divided into two phases of two months each. Within the initial phase (weeks 1-8) of the scholarship, you will explore and develop a viable PhD topic. This phase will conclude with an intermediate evaluation. If the evaluation is successful, you will enter the second scholarship period (weeks 9-16), preparing an exposé of the PhD project as a base for obtaining third-party funding.

The scholarship

The 4-month scholarship amounts to €5,000 and will be paid in two instalments (with a dividing line upon successful interim evaluation). The position is located at the Institute of History at RWTH Aachen University, under the direction of Prof. Dr. Harald Müller. Temporary telecommuting is possible upon request.

Your profile

The scholarship is intended for graduates who have recently completed a Master’s degree or an equivalent qualification in History (e.g. Staatsexamen) or students who have submitted their final thesis. Candidates should intend to do a doctorate matching the thematic focus of the project (i.e. (the history of the Church and the Papacy in twelfth century Western Europe with a particular focus on the history of schisms).

Requirements

As scholarship holder you ought to be willing and motivated to research autonomously while actively contributing to the project by occasionally giving a paper or completing a smaller thematic task.

Foreign language skills in English and Latin are a prerequisite. Skills in other modern European foreign languages are welcome.We offer you

– a vibrant, intellectually stimulating environment, professional guidance, and academic exchange with two experienced research teams at the Aachen and Würzburg locations

– insights into the close collaboration with the Cologne Center for eHumanities as a cooperation partner for Digital Humanities

– participation in project-specific workshops, summer schools, and research colloquia, as well as a broad international network and opportunities to support your research activities

– a broad focus and the project’s connections to international academia

– the attractive international flair of the border city of Aachen with its proximity to universities and research institutions in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France

Application

Closing date for applications: 31 October 2025

Please email the following documents in a single PDF file to the coordinator at the Aachen office, Isabel Blumenroth (blumenroth@histinst.rwth-aachen.de):

Covering letter

CV (including a list of publications, where applicable)

Rough outline of the dissertation project with basic literature (max. 3 pages). Please feel free to contact us for a brief consultation on the compatibility of the research idea with the focus of the project.

Graduation certificate (incl. final grade) or proof of the submission of the Master’s thesis (or equivalent)

Certificate of enrollment, if applicable

Language certificates

Text sample (e.g. introductory chapter of the Master’s thesis or equivalent)

Applications can be submitted in German or English. The prerequisite for starting the scholarship is a Master’s degree or an equivalent qualification in History (e.g. Staatsexamen). Applicants who are about to complete their studies can apply, provided they can submit their official graduation certificate no later than 1 March 2025.

Applications from doctoral students already doing their doctorate at other universities will not be considered.

Please contact

Dr. Isabel Blumenroth, blumenroth@histinst.rwth-aachen.de, +49 241 80 26 128
Scholarship announcement (project website)

Source : RWTH Aachen