How bold and skilful was the man who first made a ship and put to sea, chasing the wind, seeking a land he could not see and a coast he could not know!

Robert Wace (c. 1110–c. 1174)

 

Depending on one’s place in medieval Europe, the sea might be the centre of the known world or the final frontier. The sheer potential has always attracted humans towards this great unknown, learning to use the sea to catch fish, sail to distant lands for reasons of faith and trade, establish contacts with civilisations of different beliefs, wage wars for political and economic dominance as well as inspiring poetry and dreams of the world beyond. This all reflects in the many works that, within the scope of Archaeology, History of Art, History, Literature and many other fields, have in recent decades studied fishing and natural resources, overseas trade and commercial institutions, maritime power and the management of socio-economic conflicts, and religious migrations, among other topics.

The sixth edition of the International Conference “Medieval Europe in Motion” focuses on the sea: a theme that has been asserting itself with in the medieval studies context in keeping with its international character, the quality of its participants and the search for the cross-fertilisation of perspectives and methodologies around a theme capable of benefiting from distinct but equally enriching approaches. The Program brings together a highly regarded group of keynote speakers, in conjunction with a wide range of papers, congregating almost one hundred researchers from many different countries.

The Conference will also feature a section dedicated to “Medieval Lisbon and the Sea”, thereby providing continuity to the tradition of studying Lisbon at the Institute of Medieval Studies.

Organisation: Institute of Medieval Studies (IEM – NOVA-FCSH)
Support: Lisbon Municipal Council; UNESCO Chair “The Cultural Heritage of the Oceans”; the Navy Museum; Geography Society of Lisbon; Portuguese Society of Medieval Studies.