Medieval Research Seminar

The Centre runs a fortnightly seminar series throughout the first two terms of the year, incorporating two public events (the Barton Lecture in the autumn, and the Orme Lecture in the spring, the latter of which is accompanied by a postgraduate seminar). If you would like to attend any of the other seminars and are not on the Centre for Medieval Studies mailing list, please contact the convenors, Thomas Hinton and Gregory Lippiatt.

Details for seminars in summer 2025 are available below. Posters from previous years' seminar series are also available for spring 2025, autumn 2024, spring 2024, autumn 2023, spring 2023, autumn 2022, and spring 2022.

For the latest news from the Centre, see our regularly-updated blog.

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14 May 2025

French in Medieval Britain Seminar

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14 May 2025

'Reminiscence and Marginalisation in the taifa states: Evidence of Muslim identity in the "Historica Roderici"'

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28 May 2025

'The Premature Renaissance: the Emergence of the Mother Tongue in 14th-century Florence and London'

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Reading Groups

Members of the Centre run a number of reading groups in their areas of study, to which any and all members of the University (and anyone with an interest in the field) are more than welcome. We currently run the following groups:

  • The Medieval French Reading Group (convened by Edward Mills and Thomas Hinton) meets to explore and translate collaboratively a work written in the French of the pre-modern period. Our current text is the Jeu de Saint Nicolas, and members of the group bring a variety of experience with medieval and modern French, from internationally-recognised expertise to absolute beginners. All are welcome! 
  • The Medieval Latin Reading Group (convened by Gregory Lippiatt and Naomi Howell) likewise focuses on developing attendees' experience and familiarity textual material -- in this case, Latin material -- that met with popularity during the Middle Ages, ranging from the short Disticha Catonis ('Distichs of Cato') to the longer Somnium Scipionis ('Dream of Scipio') and texts of monastic hours. 

Precise details on dates and times for these seminars in the summer term will circulate in due course. Please contact the relevant convenors if you have any queries or enquiries.

Other Seminars and Events

  • Various dates: members of the Centre contribute to the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies' Monday Majalis seminar series, which will cover a number of medieval topics this term. Information about these events is hosted on the Institute's website.
  • Thursday 27th March (12:30pm): the team from the AHRC-funded Warhorse project will be celebrating the launch of the book to emerge from the project, Equestrian landscapes, material culture and Zooarchaeology in Britain, AD 800 - 1550. More information is available through the University's events system.
  • Wednesday 2nd April (7:30pm)current Exeter PhD student David McLean is speaking at an online lecture hosted by the Devon History Society, on 'Torre Abbey's Temporal Possessions on the Eve of Dissolution'. More information is available on the DHS website.
  • Saturday 23rd April (7pm): John Allan is speaking at St. Mary's, Ottery St. Mary, on 'The Building of St. Mary's, Ottery, and Exeter Cathedral at the Time of Bishop Grandisson'. The DHS website has more information.

Contact

If you have details of any other relevant seminars or events that you wish to be displayed on this page, please e-mail the webmaster for the Centre, Edward Mills.