Government and Institutions in the Regnum Francorum c. 450-c.1050: Studies in Administration and Practice
The Department of History at the University of New Hampshire and the Dunfey Family Fund are sponsoring a conference and subsequent volume focused on administrative practice in the region of the regnum Francorum from the later Roman Empire into the eleventh century. The conference organizers, David Bachrach, Stefan Esders, and Gregory Halfond are bringing together historians and archaeologists interested in the “nuts and bolts” of governmental and church administration on one of the five conference themes:
- Law and Justice
- Warfare
- Fiscal Assets/ Resources, both Governmental and Ecclesiastical
- Infrastructure of Communications, including both the “hardware” of roads, bridges etc. and “software” of human networks
- Assuring the Public Good
We particularly encourage proposals that cover one or more of the periods of Late Antiquity, Carolingian, and post-Carolingian. The conference is open to scholars across all ranks, including those working on their dissertations. The conference will take place in the fall semester of 2026 at the University of New Hampshire (Durham). All papers will be pre-circulated during the preceding summer. In each session, participants in the conference will address as a group three or four papers on a particular theme or topic. Participants may provide pre-circulated papers in German, French, or English. The language of the conference, however, will be in English. Each essay should include both a historiographical introduction and an original contribution, which can certainly build upon the participant’s earlier work. It is our intention to secure a publisher’s agreement for essays of 10,000-12,000 words, inclusive of notes.
The conference will pay for the accommodations of participants in Durham/Portsmouth, New Hampshire (north of Boston, Massachusetts), the main conference meals, and up to $1000 US for flights originating outside of the United States and $500 for flights within the US. To apply, please contact David Bachrach (David.Bachrach@unh.edu) with your proposed title, a 200-300 word abstract, and a current curriculum vitae.
