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Magna Carta and the World of King John
March 28-29, 2008
The conference is presented by
The Center for American Heritage Studies
Organized by The Center for Medieval Studies
With additional support from: The Institute for the Arts and Humanities, and the Departments of French and Francophone Studies; Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures; Comparative Literature; History; English; Spanish, Italian and Portuguese and; Science, Technology, & Society. Download Resistration Form |
Poster created by Adam Gustavson, West Orange, NJ |
Very few documents of the European medieval period or any other are as well known to Americans as Magna Carta. It has been seen variously as the foundation of modern Anglo-American law, as a selfish attempt to preserve the interests of the baronial class, as the inspiration of an archbishop with lofty principles, or as a reaction to the centralizing efforts of the Angevin kings. What lay behind the rebellion leading to the meeting at Runnymede in June 1215? What was England like in the early 13th century – and how did the Great Charter affect English society at the time and in later centuries?
A group of distinguished scholars from both Great Britain and the U.S. examine various groups and institutions of that society, in an attempt to fill in the background of the Great Charter: the World of King John.
Conference Speakers
Friday morning, March 28:
- Ralph V. Turner, Florida State University
“England in 1215: An Authoritarian Angevin Regime Facing Multiple Threats”- James Masschaele, Rutgers University
“The English Economy in the Era of Magna Carta”- David Crouch, University of Hull
“Baronial Paranoia in John’s Reign”Friday afternoon, March 28:
- Barbara Hanawalt, Ohio State University
“Justice without Judgment: Criminal Trials Prior to 1215”- Janet Loengard, Moravian College
“The Widow, her Family, and Property and the Magna Carta”- John Hudson, University of St. Andrews, (Scotland)
“Magna Carta, Ius commune, and the Common Law?”Saturday morning, March 29:
- RaGena DeAragon, Gonzaga University
“Aristocratic Women of King John’s Reign”- James Brundage, University of Kansas
“The Managerial Revolution in the English Church”- John Gillingham, London School of Economics and Political Science
“Good Lordship and Good Manners at the Court of King John”Saturday afternoon, March 29:
Heritage Studies Education Speakers:
- David Saxe, Center for American Heritage Studies
“Heritage and History: Magna Carta’s Lessons”- Scott Metzger, Pennsylvania State University
“Magna Carta: Teaching the Medieval in Schools”