In memoriam Alheydis Plassmann:  Medieval Origins ands Anglo-German Connexions, IMC Leeds 1-4 July 2024

In memoriam Alheydis Plassmann
Two Call for paper, International Medieval Congress, Leeds 1-4 July 2024

Medieval Origines Gentium, c. 950 – c. 1250
In memoriam Alheydis Plassmann (1969-2022)

Where did people come from? Every generation imagined anew the origins of a people, their ancestry and origins. Inevitably, they were connected – no people could have origins of its own. We can trace a lively exchange of origin myths, of authors seeking to embrace – or distance themselves – from origin tales associated with neighbours, renewed efforts to locate a community’s wanderings and travails, to locate and specify what was unique about a community.

The period in question has the added advantage of covering both the world before, and the world since Geoffrey of Monmouth. Narrative of Trojan origins had a profound influence on the period – yet were they all there was? Older traditions resurfaced in the guise of Galfridian lore, for sure. But were traditions rewritten to meet new ends? How far did new mean Galfridian narrative paradigms?

These questions were also at the heart of the work of Alheydis Plassmann. In these sessions, we aim to honor this connection by drawing on her work to consider the current state of play, outline new approaches, and revisit established assumptions.

Please send a one-page CV together with a 250 word outline for a 20 minute paper to: bkw@aber.ac.uk

Organiser : Björn Weiler

Anglo-German Connections and Comparisons in the Long Twelfth Century,
c. 1066 – 1250
In memoriam Alheydis Plassmann (1969-2022)

Few people have played as prominent a part in facilitating exchanges between English and German academia as Alheydis Plassmann. We would like to take these sessions as a way of reflecting upon her work, to explore new directions, and to consider long-forgotten angles.

Topics might include (but are not limited to):

• Kingship: how did models of royal rule differ? Was there change over time? What about the size of each realm? Traditions and their impact?
• Historical writing: England experienced a veritable boom in historiographical work in the early twelfth century: what was its imperial equivalent?
• The Church: what did the German and English Church have in common? What were the differences?
• The Economy: what was the relative fiscal might of the kings of England and Germany? What were the differences/parallels between towns?

Submissions with a 1 one page CV and a 150 word outline for a 20 minutes are requested by 22 September at : ryankemp92@outlook.com