Susannah Bain

Research Topic

Mapping the Past: Connections and Senses of Place in Italian Historical Narratives, 1250-1350

Supervisor: Catherine Holmes and Philippa Byrne

My thesis looks at historical narratives produced in different parts of Italy from 1250 to 1350 to consider how connections were experienced and what they meant in different (local) contexts in this period. On the one hand, this involves thinking about how coverage of external events and places found within these works reflects links and the movement of information. On the other, it requires an examination of how this knowledge is presented: where is discussed, how and why, and what does this mean in light of the different local and regional issues and contexts in which each narrative was produced?

Beyond this, I am interested in the medieval Mediterranean more broadly (especially Sicily and the Crown Lands of Aragon), as well as many of the topics and methodologies associated with the ‘Global Middle Ages’. I am also currently thinking about the relationship between ‘documents’, ‘archives’ and historical narratives, particularly in the Middle Ages.

This year, I am the President of the Oxford History Graduate Network. Before arriving at Oxford for my Masters’, I completed my undergraduate degree at UCL (University College London).

My doctoral research is kindly supported by the Oxford-David Jones Graduate Scholarship. I am an Early Career Member of the Royal Historical Society.