Minutes of the British Academy International Research Network Meeting, Political Culture in Norman and Angevin England in Comparative Perspective, 1066-1272, London, 10-12 June 2004

Present: Deborah Gerish (DG), Haki Antonsson (HA), Nicholas Vincent (NV), Stephen Church (SC), Kimberley LoPorete (KP), Philippe Buc (PB), Bill Aird (BA), Sarah Hamilton (SH), Björn Weiler (BW); Guests: David Carpenter, Chris Lewis

1. Papers Read: The following papers were read by participants:

HA: Royal Saints in Scandinavia: the English Dimension

DG: Holy War and the Imperceptible Consorts of Jerusalem

PB: The Vengeance of God: from Exegesis to the Ecclesiastical Reform and the First Crusade

Huw Pryce: Welsh Princes, Law and Poetry (in absentia)

KP: “The Lady Vanishes”: Medieval Texts, Modern Historians and Lordly Women

SC: What Happened in Twelfth-Century England when the King Died ?

NV: The Case of the Missing Biographies

2. Structure of future meetings: It was decided to combine elements of the Aberystwyth, Bamberg & London meetings ,i.e., to combine the presentation and discussion of work in progress with the more focussed discussions outlined in the Aberystwyth Programme. BW pointed out that the London meeting would probably result in a deficit, and that the 2005 meeting ought thus to be held in the UK (BW would deal with British Academy concerning change in proposed structure). For 2006, a meeting in either Göttingen, Vienna or Bergen was envisaged.
3. Future activities: BA and Klaus van Eickels were planning to organise a series of sessions at Leeds. Since the meeting, BW has taken on co- organisation of Thirteenth-Century England conferences, which will create room for further co-operation; HA, who has since moved to the Centre for Medieval Studies at Bergen will explore opportunities for further collaboration. BW explained that Sverre Bagge had expressed interest in turning Leeds 2004 strand on Bureaucracy & Power into a conference to be held at Bergen in 2007/8.
4. 2005 meeting: BW reported that Len Scales had offered to hold 2005 meeting at Durham. Since the London meeting, the date his been confirmed as: 5-8 July 2005.Discussion and papers are to focus on the following themes:

· councils and assemblies

· rebellion and peacemaking

· sacrality (or lack thereof)

BW pointed out that this would be the last year with guaranteed funding from the British Academy, and that the research questions to be discussed in the following two years will have to be discussed, as will conclusions reached so far.

5. Grants

Further to discussions at Bamberg, SH & BW are to explore grants for a project on kingship and/or assemblies with the AHRB; Visiting Professorship application has been logged with British Academy.