Masterclass: Why did Pope Gregory the Great make churches give up property? (Roy Flechner, University College Dublin)

Date

Tuesday 7 November 2023 - Wednesday 8 November 2023

Address

Radboud University/Utrecht University

On the 7th and 8th of November, Radboud University and Utrecht University are jointly organising a masterclass for (Re)MA students and PhD candidates on the life and times of those lay people dependent on monasteries. That medieval monasteries owned vast swaths of land is well-known and acknowledged, but we seldom stop to think about the peasants and farmers living on that land, economically tied to the landholding monastery. Some were free, some unfree, some well-off, some poor. This masterclass explores in what way(s) families on monastic lands were structured and what the implications were of their dependency on the monastery. And why did Gregory the Great make churches give up property?

The masterclass is taught by Dr. Roy Flechner, associate professor of medieval history at UCD and renowned expert of early medieval religious life in the British Isles and wider Europe. The masterclass consists of a (public) lecture at Nijmegen on 7 November (16.00-17.00) and a workshop at Utrecht University on 8 November (11.00-13.00). There is a small amount of preparatory reading involved. Research Master students can obtain 1 ECTS by attending and completing a short assignment. Drinks ('borrel') and lunch are offered to Research School students. Please register via email: [e-mail] by 3 November at the latest.