Post-medieval crusades: languages, contexts, change c 1400-1700

Aberystwyth University, 7-9 June 2010

As an expression of Holy War, the notion of crusade has retained longevity still felt today. Originating as a military campaign sanctioned by the papacy in 1096 to further Christianity’s religious mission, the term crusade cannot be defined by its militant dimension alone. Devotion, penance, an ideal to inspire and the remission of sins are only some of the elements that inform the notion of crusade. A protean concept, crusade and its attendant rhetoric has pervaded much of the politics and religious zeal of those who employed it. Ideas and ideals of crusade thrived during the early modern period. Though admiration for crusade crossed the confessional divide, its subsequent appropriation and adaptation in many cultural guises across Europe also often developed along lines of nationalism, religious affiliation, ethnic/racial representations, uses of the past, military conflicts, narratives of legitimation and literary writings. This interdisciplinary conference will bring together a range of scholars from history and literary studies to identify and explore the diversity of contexts in which crusade and its language operated and was contested in the early modern period.

Confirmed speakers are Jonathan Burton, Matthew Dimmock, Almut Höfert, Kathryn Hurlock, Claire Jowitt, Stewart Mottram, Marco Nievergelt, Gregory O'Malley, Sabine Schülting, Christopher Tyerman.

There are also a number of bursaries available for postgraduate delegates

For further information, please contact:
Dr Stephan Schmuck
Department of European Languages
Hugh Owen Building
Aberystwyth University
SY23 2DY
sts@aber.ac.uk