Medieval Studies of Central Europe

Can we all agree that the Luxembourg rulers in Central Europe were larger-than-life personalities? John, Charles and Sigismund all provide historians with endless colourful material. The new Open Access volume offers a fresh perspective on the latter ruler and his court, with many studies devoted to the relationship between the Luxembourg centre of power and various historical figures across Central Europe. Follow the link in the comments to download Der Hof Kaiser Sigismunds. Personelle Bühne und internationales Zentrum, edited by Petr Elbel and Klara Hübner, Wien: Böhlau Verlag, 2026.

You liked so much the picture of the Czech and Polish medievalists from Chicago Union Station that we decided to take one more on the way back from Kalamazoo at the very same location.
The Czech-Polish team was joined by a Hungarian friend Katalin Szende from Central European University.
The 61st International Congress on Medieval Studies is over and its participants are on their way back home...
See you next time!

On the final day of the 61st International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, two sessions were held in honor of Professor František Šmahel, organized by our Centre in collaboration with the Centre for Medieval Studies Prague and the Department of History at Western Michigan University. Six papers were presented by medievalists for whom František Šmahel and his research served as an inspiration; among speakers there were both his students and friends (Pavlína Cermanová, Paweł Kras, Stephen Lahey, James Palmitessa, Adam Poznański, and Václav Žůrek). We are delighted that our first session was chaired by Paul Knoll of the University of Southern California.
Both in the papers and during the discussions, attention focused on themes that defined the main trajectories of Professor Šmahel’s legacy: Hussitism, representations of heretics, polemical discourse, and religious violence.
We extend our thanks to the presenters, chairs, and participants who joined our sessions!

The 61st International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo is in full swing - and is has more in common with our Centre's academic journal than you may think!

Paul W. Knoll, who will chair one of the sessions at ICMS in Kalamazoo is also a co-editor of the third volume of "Acta Mediaevalia. Series Nova". And we would like to remind you that you have only TWO WEEKS LEFT to submit your article to this volume!

Its main topic is:

UNIVERSITIES, SCHOOLS, AND THE TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE IN LATE MEDIEVAL CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Submissions:
https://czasopisma.kul.pl/index.php/amsn/about/submissions

The 61st International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo started at 8.30 with the first round of 30 parallel sessions. This year the Congress is slightly bigger with over 420 sessions and around 1500 participants from all across the world.
The Congress offers great opporunities to present research findings, discuss recent publications, and develop new projects. It is also a social event where a lot is happening begind the scenes. The representatives of our Center are very active promoting our projects, meeting old friends, and making new.
That's just the first day...

The Czech-Polish team of medievalists: Pavlína Cermanová, Paweł Kras, Adam Poznański and Václav Žůrek has been just reunited in downtown Chicago and is on the way to Kalamazoo, Michigan. We all are very excited to see more medievalists attending the 61st International Congress on Medieval Studies which will start tomorrow.
We will keep you updated! We very much look forward to our sessions in honor od František Šmahel scheduled for Saturday morning.

The biggest congress for medievalists on the other side of the Atlantic starts tomorrow. From Thursday 14 May until Saturday 16 May, hundreds of scholars will gather in Kalamazoo to discuss their research. Our Centre is also present, having co-organised panels devoted to the memory of the late Professor František Šmahel. Professor Paweł Kras and Dr Adam Poznański will contribute to these sessions with papers on the Hussite movement and anti-Hussite polemics. If you are following the Congress, set aside some time on Saturday from 8:30 am local time.

We have good news for everyone who loves medieval chronicles! At our Centre, we are about to finish work on an online application for the database: Repertorium Chronicarum. A Bibliography of Manuscripts of Medieval Latin Chronicles. In collaboration with Professor Jacek Soszyński and the Institute of the History of Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences ( Historii Nauki im L i A Birkenmajerów PAN), we will soon offer an application that catalogues all Latin chronicle manuscripts from the 4th to the 15th century. Creating a satisfactory data model and selecting an appropriate tool for presenting the materials collected by a team led by Professor Dan Embree of Mississippi State University and Professor Jacek Soszyński was particularly time-consuming and labour-intensive.

In the screenshot, you can see the application being tested at the LAB (Laboratorium Humanistycznych Danych Badawczych KUL) and the team submitting their final feedback. We are happy that the work is nearing completion, and you will soon be able to explore the world of medieval chronicles. We will certainly inform you here when the application is launched.

An opportunity for postdocs! The beginning of the Protestant Reformation is usually considered to mark the end of the Middle Ages and the dawn of the early modern period. This does not mean, however, that medievalists should not be interested in this transition. Professor Maciej Ptaszyński is the Principal Investigator of an innovative project entitled 'Reformation Violence: Religious Riots in the Baltic Region, 1520–1525 at the University of Warsaw, which is currently seeking a postdoctoral researcher. You can find more information in the project description, along with a link to the full position description, in the comments section. The deadline for applications is 1 June 2026.

Just a quick reminder that there's only a week left to take advantage of this opportunity to learn from medieval people how to gain a good reputation and avoid malicious rumours and open slander. 15 May is the deadline for applications to the Prague-Leipzig summer school, which is devoted to this very subject. See the attached poster for more details.

A new version of the excellent MIHOO database (Magistri Iohannis Hus Opera Omnia hosted by Masaryk University) has been released. It is perfect for anyone interested in Jan Hus and the intellectual history of the Czech Reformation, and it can now be freely explored. If you speak Czech, you might consider joining the launch meeting on 6 May at 3 pm. Follow the links in the comments for more details.