Chronicles, saints’ lives, and other reconstructions of the past constitute our most important and challenging set of sources for the intellectual, social, and political history of high Medieval Europe (c. 900 – c. 1300). They offer unique insights into political culture, forms of memory, networks of communication, origin myths, and the role of the past in shaping identities. Scholarly interest has moved away from examining these texts as repositories of facts towards an appreciation instead of their value as products of varied and diverse cultural, intellectual, and textual traditions. This international workshop for postgraduates and early career scholars will focus on the following areas:

- The use of the past as an expression of identity
- The representation and interpretation of political power through reconstructions of the past
- The influence of classical and early medieval intellectual, literary, and rhetorical traditions
- The place of these renditions within wider social contexts (including networks of patronage, reception, communication, and information)

Keynote lectures will be given by: Martin Aurell (Poitiers), Piotr S. Gorecki (Riverside/CA), Robert Ireland (Aberystwyth), and Felicitas Schmieder (Hagen).

Please email paper proposals (max. 300 words for 20-25 minute papers) to Ryan Kemp at ryk3@aber.ac.uk by 28th February 2017.

Deadline for attendance registration: 15th April 2017. Standard registration fee: £15.00, postgraduates: £12.00 (includes refreshments).