Medieval People

Medieval Institute Publications at Western Michigan University publishes "Medieval People: Social Bonds, Kinship and Networks" (ISSN 2690-8182; eISSN 2690-8190), formerly published under the title "Medieval Prosopography: History and Collective Biography" (ISSN 0198-9405; eISSN 2381-8700).

Introduction

"Medieval People" builds upon what its precursor, "Medieval Prosopography," sought to do: it is dedicated to highlighting the experiences of unknown or obscure individuals or groups, as well as exploring the social networks that gave shape to the lives of all medieval people. The journal has been updated, however, to reflect the new trends in scholarship and the ever-growing number of tools available to scholars, as well as the rich offerings of digital humanities projects that can assist scholars in developing a deeper and more inclusive understanding of the medieval world. Therefore volume 35 of "Medieval Prosopography" is the last volume available in print, while volume 36, coming in early 2022, will be the first volume under the title "Medieval People" and the first online-only volume of the journal (articles can be printed by subscribers).

Taking Eileen Power’s classic book "Medieval People" as a touchstone, the inaugural volume of the journal will contain articles that correspond directly with the narratives in Power’s volume, such as Constance Bouchard’s updating of “The Peasant Bodo.” But the focus of the journal has also been updated and expanded to include articles on medieval people who were not included in the original work, including, for instance, Nicole Lopez-Jantzen’s examination of Lombard queens and Lucy Barnhouse’s discussion of the relationship of the sick and destitute with a German monastery. These articles align with the journal’s mission to promote the study of overlooked or understudied medieval people and groups.

To highlight how the study of the past has transformed and broadened, consideration of the tools that scholars can now employ to detect relationships not known heretofore, but also to recover the experiences of people whose stories would otherwise remain unretrievable, will also be included. Courtney Luckhardt, for example, uses social networking software to trace the relationships between pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem.

Editors

  • Amy Livingstone, University of Lincoln, UK
  • Charlotte Cartwright, Christopher Newport University
  • Jamie Wood, University of Lincoln, UK

Executive Board

  • Valerie L. Garver, Northern Illinois University
  • Jonathan R. Lyon, University of Chicago
  • Joel T. Rosenthal, State University of New York at Stony Brook

"Medieval People": Volume 37 (2022) Table of Contents

"George Beech (1931–2022): In Memoriam," by Joel Rosenthal

"Inscribing Her Presence: Digitally Mapping Women in Late Medieval Paris," by Tracy Chapman Hamilton and Mariah Proctor-Tiffany

"Violence, the Nuclear Family, and Patterns of Prosecution in Late Medieval Flanders," by Mireille Pardon

"Searching for Unfree Families in Thirteenth Century Episcopal Registers: Demetrios Chomatenos and John Apokaukos," by Nathan Leidholm

"Medieval Everydays: A Creative Microhistory," by Katherine Weikert

"Pardonable Sodomy: Uncovering Laurence's Sin and Recovering the Range of the Possible," by Emily Hutchison and Sara McDougall

"The Illegitimate Offspring of King John of England Identified from the Rolls," by Ralph V. Turner

"Lives of the Brothers of Syon Abbey: Patterns of Vocation from the Syon Martiloge and Other Records ca. 1415–1622," by Virginia Bainbridge

"Addendum to Gilbert Bogner, 'The Diplomatic Career of Sir John Colville' Medieval People 36: 67–106," by Gilbert Bogner

SEE ISSUE 37 on SCHOLARWORKS

Past Volumes

The most recent volume of "Medieval Prosopography," Volume 36 (2021), contained articles by Constance B. Bouchard, Virginia Bainbridge, Gilbert Bogner, Rena N. Lauer, Lucy C. Barnhouse, Nicole Lopez-Jantzen, Elizabeth A. R. Brown, Matthew Hammond, Courtney Luckhardt, Elisabeth van Houts, Maryanne Kowelski, Katy Mortimer, Yvonne Seale with Heather Wacha, and Alexandra Guerson with Dana Wessell Lightfoot.

All past volumes of "Medieval Prosopography" are available on our ScholarWorks platform.

Subscriptions

"Medieval People" is published annually in a digital format. Journal subscriptions and orders of individual issues, which can also be printed on demand, are handled by our distributor, ISD. Subscription pricing is as follows:
  • Student/retiree/independent scholar subscriptions are $20.
  • Individual subscriptions are $40.
  • Institution or library subscriptions are $90.
  • Our subscription order form can also be used to contact ISD for print-on-demand orders.
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The editors of "Medieval People" have selected Digitial Sigillography Resource (DIGISIG) as our current "Editors Choice." DIGISIG enables scholars and members of the public to search sigillographic datasets. Scholars, archivists, archaeologists and museum curators have recorded tens of thousands of British seals. Those records are now indispensable information sources for scholars—but they are heterogenous in both form and content, and dispersed across many different reference works. To assist researchers to perform searches that span multiple repositories’ holdings, the Digisig project assembles those records and standardizes their information. DIGISIG fosters the study of seals, particularly from Medieval Europe, by radically enhancing access to this important cultural legacy. Based at Saint Louis University’s Center for Digital Humanities, DIGISIG is eager to expand its partnerships with additional researchers and institutions. For news and updates, follow John McEwan on Twitter.

Medieval Londoners

A blue rectangle with gold border. Inside, to the left, is a medieval manuscript image of a bridge with buildings on top; to the right are the words "Medieval Londoners" in white.The "Medieval Londoners Project" provides curated guides to resources about medieval London and its people, as well as a searchable digital prosopography for  residents of London, Southwark and Westminster between c. 1100 and 1520.  These features highlight the Project’s pedagogical interests, as do the syllabi, instructions for digital projects and opportunities for digital training it offers.

People of Medieval Scotland

People of Medieval Scotland icon: the words "People of Medieval Scotland, 1093-1371" in white on a blue background, with a white wax seal in the left margin.

"People of Medieval Scotland" is a digital factoid prosopography with data on over 22,500 people and institutions in the kingdom of Scotland between the years 1093 and 1371, drawn from over 9,000 documents. PoMS provides exhaustive coverage of charters, letters and similar sources dealing with people, possessions and privileges within Scotland between 1093 and 1314, with further coverage of all royal charters from 1314 to 1371. PoMS has been groundbreaking in its extensive integration of social network analysis, including over 100 interactive sociograms. Users can also search and display results using maps.

The Revised Regesta Regni Hierosolymitani Database

"The Revised Regesta Regni Hierosolymitani Database" is a digitized database of sources available for the study of the crusader states and related regions (ca.1095–ca.1292). Among other resources, it contains summaries and part translations of relevant documents such as charters and letters, as well as an extensive glossary of terms and a bibliography. It is both an excellent teaching and research tool for those working on prosopography and the crusades to the Holy Land during the Middle Ages. The project is ongoing, and a “Future” tab offers information for planned new directions.

 

Medieval People: Submissions

This journal explores the lives of medieval people of all ranks, periods and places in the medieval world and welcomes submissions that explore a single life, that highlight the important social bonds of an individual or group, or the study of social networks from late antiquity to the sixteenth century. If the editors believe the article is suitable for publication in the journal, it will be evaluated by experts in the field. Articles in the major European languages are invited and will be published in their original language. Please submit articles through the journal's ScholarWorks page, and contact the editors with any questions about submissions.

General Submission Rules 

Submitted articles cannot have been previously published, nor be forthcoming in an archival journal or book (print or electronic). Please note: "publication" in a working-paper series does not constitute prior publication. In addition, by submitting material to "Medieval People," the author is stipulating that the material is not currently under review at another journal (electronic or print) and that he or she will not submit the material to another journal (electronic or print) until the completion of the editorial decision process at "Medieval People."

Formatting Requirements 

Please submit articles with a minimum of formatting. Do not justify the right margin, or use varying type sizes or variable line space, or insert extra spaces around paragraphs. See Final Manuscript Preparation Guidelines for further details. Additional necessary materials (e.g., tables, family trees, etc.) should also be submitted as Word files when possible.