Cdn Society of Medievalists/Société Canadienne des médiévistes
@canmedievalists.bsky.social
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Official account of the CSM / SCM -- join us at https://www.canadianmedievalists.org/. Banner image: University of Victoria Library, MS Doc.Brown, https://www.uvic.ca/library/locations/home/spcoll/collections/medieval/doc-brown-2.php
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CFP - CSM Sessions at ACCUTE's 2026 conference in Montreal, 4-7 June

Submit your paper proposals on
• Medieval Magic
• Medieval Masculinities

for two CSM-sponsored sessions. Deadline 15 Nov. 2025. Details here www.canadianmedievalists.org/CSM-at-ACCUT...
The Canadian Society of Medievalists - CSM at ACCUTE 2026
www.canadianmedievalists.org
canmedievalists.bsky.social
CSM Member Dr. Joanne Findon's new book, Bound and Free: Voices of Mortal and Otherworld Women in Medieval Irish Literature, is being celebrated with a virtual book launch on September 30! All are welcome but registration is required here: uark.zoom.us/meeting/regi.... See the poster attached.
At the top: a sculture of a woman with one hand behind her head and the other reaching out, on a grey background. Below that on a gold background are the words, CSANA Virtual Book Launch (for) Bound and Free: Voices of Mortal and Otherworld Women in Medieval Irish Literature by Joanne Findon. With responses from Amy Mulligan (Notre Dame) and Kristen Mills (University of Oslo). Register here (but see registration link in post). Tuesday September 30 12 pm (CST) and 6 PM (BST)
canmedievalists.bsky.social
Tudor tournaments were thus, Emma-Catherine argues "deeply rooted in Early English tournaments," not Burgundian models.
canmedievalists.bsky.social
Emma-Catherine Wilson discussed early Tudor Tournament letters arguing that rather than relying on Burgundian models as other scholars have suggested, the Tudors drew from "a long lineage of insular tradition" in issuing challenges and creating the literary pageantry of tournaments.
canmedievalists.bsky.social
Her work has traced the life of this textile fragment from an Islamic courtly setting in Grenada to a Christian Church in Castile. The fabric was eventually cut and survives now in fragments across the world. In its fragmented form these textiles served as book and treasure wraps.
canmedievalists.bsky.social
Next up was Iris Bednarski who shared her work on a textile fragment now housed at the McGill Museum of Fine Arts. The pic here was kindly provided by Iris. The project attempted "to reconstruct the life of [this] object". The fragment is probably from Grenada and was likely created in the 13th c.
canmedievalists.bsky.social
Another excellent panel from this year's CSM Annual Meeting. Chris Nighman spoke about two previously unknown sources for Robert of Naple's Sermo factus pro liga Lombardie, the Manipulus florum and John of Wales' Communiloquium. Much of Dr. Nighman's recent work has been exploring the manuscripts
canmedievalists.bsky.social
nothing has survived to the present day. Dr. Bacola also noted the importance of the Fenland in the area, allowing for isolated conditions for those (saints) seeking solitude. Using ArcGIS also brings to light local power dynamics between neighbouring monasteries.
canmedievalists.bsky.social
Finally Meredith Bacola described how she is using ArcGIS as a tool for understanding the development of Crowland Abbey. Amongst other fascinating findings, using ArcGIS made it clear that the geography supported the information found in hagiographies of St. Guthlac (and important finding since
canmedievalists.bsky.social
was being read, but in the libraries, not the infirmaries, he speculates. @winstonblack is on bluesky, so ask questions!
canmedievalists.bsky.social
kept in the infirmary not the library, and shows clear evidence of the incorporation of the textual knowledge in the MS into medical practice. Dr. Black also hinted that there was a distinction to be made between textual medicine and the medicine of the infirmaries. Constantine Africanus' new work
canmedievalists.bsky.social
Next Winston Black reminded us that we should not be ignoring the role of monasteries in the history of medicine. Perhaps the locus of that medical knowledge was not only found in the libraries and scriptoria but in the infirmaries. Dr. Black's work on Bethesda NLM E8 suggests that manuscript was
canmedievalists.bsky.social
a monastic community, Hildegard's own monasteries suggest her attitude may have been more flexible on this than her writing suggests. There is some evidence that suggests the presence of conversae in or near Rupertsberg. As always, Gudiño warns categories for class and types of religious are porous.
canmedievalists.bsky.social
Another day, another panel. First up, Carmen Gudiño, who examined the class diversity at the monastery of Rypertsberg under Hildegard of Bingen. While Hildegard's writings suggest that the importance of hierarchy when responding to a colleague's idea that only nobles should be allowed to enter into
A list of papers presented in a panel.  The text is as follows:

Session 8A: New Perspectives on Medieval
Monasticism
Location: SJ2-2003
Carmen Gudiño, Ph.D. student, University of Toronto

Social Diversity at Rupertsberg: Theology vs. Practice in
Hildegard of Bingen

Winston Black, 
St. Francis Xavier University

Monastic Infirmaries in Twelfth-Century England: A
reassessment of their role in the history of medicine

Meredith Bacola, 
University of Manitoba

Reconstructing the medieval past: ArcGIS as a tool for
understanding the development of Crowland Abbey,
England

Chair: Jacqueline Murray, 
University of Guelph
canmedievalists.bsky.social
Unfortunately, the paper by Dr. Laumonier on Montpelier butchers and their neighbours and environs had to be cancelled. We look forward to hearing about this project at future CSM Annual Conferences.
canmedievalists.bsky.social
the consequences of such events much more visible. Attached here is a modern image of Pont Neuf, (credit: Wiki Commons) which is now the oldest bridge in in Paris, opened in 1607, long after the Great Winter.
A recent photograph of Pont Neuf with the Île de la Cité in between the two different sections.
canmedievalists.bsky.social
This resulted in the Left Bank being isolated from the Île de la Cité or beyond. These parts of Paris became only accessible by ferry making trade and travel from the Left Bank much more difficult. Dr. Hutchison's larger point was how mapping some of the events found in chronicles can make
canmedievalists.bsky.social
the importance of locating people in space as well as time for historians. Next up, CSM's treasurer, Emily Hutchison, who explored some of the impacts of the onset of the Little Ice Age on Paris. One example: when the Seine broke up after the "Great Winter" of 1408, it took down three bridges.
canmedievalists.bsky.social
Amongst her interesting findings, that jongleurs lived near butchers and tanners, near Jongleur street, but perhaps not ON it, interacted with Jewish populations, and lived near taverns and places that would have allowed for good busking. It was fascinating and important research, that demonstrates
canmedievalists.bsky.social
Another day, another session summary! To begin, Katherine Pierpont used municipal records to trace the presence of troubadours and jongleurs in medieval Toulouse. Her work enables her to sometimes place individuals in precise domiciles and allows her to start to understand their social networks.
A part of a conference schedule noting the names of scholars and titles of papers for a particular panel, details below.

Session 5A: Mapping Medieval People's
Lives || Cartographier la vie des
médiévaux
Location: SJ2-2003

Katherine Pierpont, University of Toronto
The Proof is in the Property: Digital Maps as
Historical Narratives in Toulouse (c. 1150-1250)

Emily Hutchison, Mount Royal University
Healthscaping in a Time of Climate Change: Mapping
the Evidence in Late Medieval Paris

Lucie Laumonier, Concordia University
Neighborly Relations: the Montpellier Butchers c.
1380-1500
Chair: Isabelle Cochelin, University of Toronto
Reposted by Cdn Society of Medievalists/Société Canadienne des médiévistes
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Congratulations to Laura Moncion, 2025 winner of the @canmedievalists.bsky.social Leonard Boyle Dissertation Prize! 🎉
www.medieval.utoronto.ca/news/laura-m...
Laura Moncion
canmedievalists.bsky.social
Beowulf himself remains unchanged, and able to feel nothing at all -- a luxury not afforded to the grieving mother.