Medieval towns were large human concentrations where men, women, and children led different daily lives, depending on the places they lived and worked, and personal attributes including gender, religion, social status, and income. At times, the apparent mundanity of daily life could be interrupted by major events. Whilst some were joyous such as festivities and royal entrances, others could be unruly such as the annual Carnival, or even distressing like preparing to defend the town from military siege. 

In these present times of unexpected and sudden changes in our own daily lives, the Institute of Medieval Studies of NOVA-FCSH and the Municipality of Castelo de Vide have come together to organize the VI International Conference of the Middle Ages which will be held from 7th to 9th October 2021 under the theme: Everyday Life in Medieval Urban Europe. 

With a focus on Christian and Islamic Europe, the approach will be from four distinct but complementary angles: I) Everyday Spaces, including as homes, workplaces and lay and religious institutions; II) Everyday Times, whether the ordinary day-to-day, or those lived during exceptional moments; III) Daily Lives of Specific Inhabitants/Groups, including children, old people, men, women, Christians, Jews, Moors or foreigners, etc; IV) Utensils and Tools of Daily Urban Life, including production, uses, and preferences of residents and outsiders for certain items. 

The Conference will comprise 4 plenary sessions featuring researchers invited by the organizing committee, along with separate thematic panels. Each panel will be made up of three paper presentations and will be 60 minutes long. Researchers wishing to participate are requested to submit proposals for whole panels and/or individual papers, the latter being arranged by the organizing committee into coherent panels. 

The Conference includes a full cultural program with guided tours, Conference Dinner, and a public Book Launch to present the published volume which brings together a selection of articles gathered from the V International Conference of the Middle Ages and the Autumn School of October 2020. 

Conference languages: 
Portuguese, Spanish, French and English. 

Scientific committee:
Adelaide Millán Costa (U. Aberta) 
Alberto García Porras (U. Granada) 
Antonio Collantes de Terán (U. de Sevilha) 
Antonio Malpica Cuello (U. de Granada) 
Beatriz Arizaga Bolumburu (U. de Cantábria) 
Catarina Tente (U. Nova de Lisboa) 
Denis Menjot (U. Lyon 2) 
Dominique Valérian (U. Paris 1 – Panthéon-Sorbonne) 
Emilio Martín Gutiérrez (U. de Cadiz) 
Hermenegildo Fernandes (U. Lisboa) 
Hermínia Vilar (U. Évora) 
Iria Gonçalves (U. Nova de Lisboa) 
Isabel del Val Valdivieso (U. de Valladolid) 
Jean Passini (EHESS-Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales) 
Jean-Luc Fray (U. Clermont Auvergne) 
Jesús Solórzano Telechea (U. de Cantábria) 
José Avelino Gutiérrez González (U. de Oviedo) 
Luísa Trindade (U. de Coimbra) 
María Asenjo González (U. Complutense de Madrid) 
Maria João Branco (U. Nova de Lisboa) 
Maria Filomena Barros (U. de Évora) 
Maria Helena da Cruz Coelho (U. de Coimbra) 
Mário Barroca (U. do Porto) 
Michel Bochaca (U. de La Rochelle) 
Pere Verdés Pijuan (IMF-CSIC) 
Peter Clark (U. de Helsínquia) 
Raphaella Averkorn (U. Siegen) 
Sara Prata (U. Nova de Lisboa) 
Sauro Gelichi (U. Ca ‘Foscari de Veneza) 
Wim Blockmans (U. de Leiden) 

Organizing Committee: 
Amélia Aguiar Andrade (IEM | NOVA FCSH) 
Gonçalo Melo da Silva (IEM | NOVA FCSH) Patrícia Martins (CMCV) 

Secretariat: Mariana Pereira (IEM | NOVA FCSH) 

Supporters: IEM – NOVA FCSH; CMCV; FCT; NOVA FCSH 

Transportation: 
The organization will provide transport by coach for speakers from Lisbon Airport – Castelo de Vide – Lisbon Airport, before and after the meeting. The registration pack for speakers includes coach transport from Lisbon Airport – Castelo de Vide – Lisbon Airport, lunch during conference days, guided tour of Castelo de Vide and Conference Dinner.