WMU’s 2025 Gründler Book Prize winner examines how early medieval money systems have influenced the modern economy

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—A historian of medieval England specializing in economic and monetary history has won Western Michigan University's Otto Gründler Book Prize.

Dr. Rory Naismith, professor of early medieval English history at University of Cambridge, won for his book “Making Money in the Early Middle Ages,” which examines the uses and meanings of coined money from the end of the western Roman Empire until the 12th century.

Published by Princeton University Press in 2023, Naismith’s book focuses on how societies functioned before our modern banking systems. It explores the surprisingly complex world of money in early medieval Europe, showing how coins and even everyday objects played a crucial role in trade, power and social connections--much like wallets and digital transactions do today. It reveals that even when money was scarce, it held immense meaning and shaped the lives of people from England to the Middle East.

Prize committee judges lauded Naismith's extensive knowledge of the field and impressive range of primary materials, ranging across Europe and beyond. They also noted how Naismith made a potentially difficult topic engaging through case studies, anecdotes and clear summaries. He included many images and illustrations, including hand-drawn maps.

“It feels to me like a very long, carefully planned, slowly refined project brought to a very full and satisfying conclusion,” the judges commented.

The Otto Gründler Book Prize, which comes with a $1,000 cash prize, was announced at the 60th International Congress on Medieval Studies held on Western’s campus May 8-10. It is named for the late, longtime director of WMU's Medieval Institute. Given annually since 1997, the award recognizes a monograph on a medieval subject that the selection committee determines has made an outstanding contribution to the field. Authors from any country are eligible, and nominations are accepted from readers and publishers. View past winners of the Gründler prize.

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