Dr Jenny Benham
Reader in Medieval History
- benhamj@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 (0)29 2087 5648
- 4.27 (4th Floor), John Percival Building, Colum Drive, Cardiff, CF10 3EU
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
Research interests
I am a historian of diplomacy and international law in the medieval period, with particular interests in espionage, treaties, and the practicalities of war and peace. As I'm originally from the snowy north, I also have an enduring interest in medieval Scandinavia.
Current research projects
- Little Birds: Spies and Espionage in the Early Medieval World
- International Law in Europe, 700-1200
- Voices of Law: Language, Text and Practice
- Early English Laws
Biography
Education and qualifications
BA, MA and PhD University of East Anglia
Honours and awards
2016-2018 The Leverhulme Trust grant for international network 'Voices of Law'
2000-2003 Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB) PhD Studentship
1999-2000 AHRB Master Studentship
Career overview
Before arriving in Cardiff in September 2013, I worked for several years outside academe, first in the legal sector and then in the publishing industry. I also spent five years as the lead teacher and Norfolk co-ordinator of the Civitas school in Great Yarmouth, and worked for three years as a project officer for the AHRC-funded project Early English Laws at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London.
Professional memberships
2016 Elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
2015 Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Publications
2022
- Benham, J. 2022. International law in Europe, 700-1200. Artes Liberales. Manchester University Press.
2021
- Benham, J. and Afsah, E. 2021. The contingent state between ideal and practice. In: Sigurđsson, J. V. and Orning, H. J. eds. Medieval and Modern Civil Wars: A Comparative Perspective. History of Warfare Brill, pp. 124-168.
2020
- Benham, J. 2020. Battle-writing and commemoration: the transition from conflict to peace. In: Ni Mhaonaigh, M., Naismith, R. and Ashman Rowe, E. eds. Writing Battles: New Perspectives on Warfare and Memory in Medieval Europe. London: Bloomsbury, pp. 27-38.
- Benham, J. 2020. The earliest arbitration treaty? A reassessment of the Anglo-Norman Treaty of 991. Historical Research 93(260), pp. 189-204. (10.1093/hisres/htaa001)
- Benham, J. 2020. Peace, security and deterrence. In: Simons, W. P. ed. A Cultural History of Peace in the Medieval Age. The Cultural Histories Series London: Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 119-134.
2018
- McHaffie, M. W., Benham, J. and Vogt, H. eds. 2018. Law and language in the middle ages. Medieval Law and Its Practice. Brill.
- Benham, J. 2018. Translating medieval documents: some basic problems. In: Benham, J. and Julian-Jones, M. eds. Translation and Medieval Documents. Voices of Law, pp. 9-16.
2017
- Benham, J. 2017. Writing peace, writing war: Roger of Howden and Saxo Grammaticus compared. In: Munster-Swendsen, M., Heeboll-Holm, T. K. and Sonnesyn, S. O. eds. History and Intellectual Culture in the Long Twelfth Century: The Scandinavian Connection. Durham Medieval and Renaissance Monographs and Essays Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, pp. 272-294.
- Benham, J. 2017. Danelaw. In: Echard, S. and Rouse, R. eds. The encyclopedia of medieval literature in Britain. Wiley
- Benham, J. 2017. Treaty of Verdun. In: Martel, G. ed. Wiley-Blackwell's Encyclopedia of Diplomacy. Wiley-Blackwell
- Benham, J. 2017. Treaty of Windsor. In: Martel, G. ed. Wiley-Blackwell's Encyclopedia of Diplomacy. Wiley-Blackwell
- Benham, J. 2017. Peace of Venice, 1177. In: Martel, G. ed. Wiley-Blackwell's Encyclopedia of Diplomacy. Wiley-Blackwell
2014
- Benham, J. 2014. Law, language and crime in Denmark and England: a comparative approach. In: Andersen, P. et al. eds. How Nordic are the Nordic Medieval Laws: Ten Years After. Proceedings of the 10th Carlsberg Academy Conference on Medieval Legal History. Djet Forlag
- Benham, J. 2014. Wounding in the High Middle Ages: law and practice. In: Kirkham, A. and Warr, C. eds. Wounds in the Middle Ages. Routledge, pp. 151-174.
2013
- Benham, J. 2013. Walter Map and Ralph Glaber: intertextuality and the construction of memories of peacemaking. In: Di Bacco, G. and Plumley, Y. eds. Citation, Intertextuality and Memory in the Middle Ages and Rennaissance. Volume 2: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Medieval Culture. Exeter Studies in Medieval Europe Exeter: University of Exeter Press
- Benham, J. 2013. Law or treaty? Defining the edge of legal studies in the early and high medieval periods. Historical Research 86(233), pp. 487-497. (10.1111/1468-2281.12025)
- Benham, J. 2013. Perceptions of war and peace: the role of treaties from the tenth to the early thirteenth centuries. In: Bleach, L. and Borrill, K. eds. Battle and Bloodshed: The Medieval World at War. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars, pp. 217-230.
2011
- Benham, J. 2011. Peacemaking in the Middle Ages: principles and practice. Manchester Medieval Studies. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
2005
- Benham, J. 2005. Anglo-French peace conferences in the Twelfth Century. In: Gillingham, J. ed. Anglo-Norman Studies XXVII. Boydell and Brewer, pp. 52-67.
2004
- Benham, J. 2004. Philip Augustus and the Angevin Empire: the Scandinavian connexion. Mediaeval Scandinavia 14, pp. 37-50.
Teaching
I welcome students interested in gaining an in-depth knowledge of the political and cultural history of the early and high Middle Ages, in particular diplomacy and law.
Little Birds: Spies and Espionage in the Medieval World
Spies, their networks and activities played a vital role in the political rivalries of the medieval world. This is clearly
highlighted in the metaphorical ‘little birds’ – e.g. ravens, jackdaws, starlings – found in Latin and vernacular
literature of Europe 500-1200, and which frequently denoted women, children, disabled, religious minorities, and
outcasts engaging in spying activities. By supplementing this literary evidence with historical records and material
culture, this project builds up a richer, more diverse, picture of early medieval espionage that goes beyond the
current historiographical focus on military and diplomatic espionage and revises our understanding of how medieval politics worked.
International Law in Europe, c. 700-1200
Was there international law in the Middle Ages? Using treaties as its main source, this book examines the extent to which such a system of rules was known and followed in the period 700 to 1200. It considers how consistently international legal rules were obeyed, whether there was a reliance on justification of action and whether the system had the capacity to resolve disputed questions of fact and law. The book further sheds light on issues such as compliance, enforcement, deterrence, authority and jurisdiction, challenging traditional ideas over their role and function in the history of international law.
Voices of Law: Language, Text and Practice
Cardiff, together with the universities of Cambridge, Glasgow and Copenhagen and the Frisian Academy in the Netherlands, have been awarded c.£80,000 by The Leverhulme Trust for the international network 'Voices of Law: Language, Text and Practice'. The network aims to establish a wide comparative framework that will highlight cross-cultural connections and cover areas of exceptional significance for the study of law, language and legal practice in Britain, Scandinavia and Frisia in the period AD 600-c1250. Over a 24-month period, the network will hold three colloquia and three workshops, each at a different institution in Britain, Scandinavia and The Netherlands. The network will further produce two edited collections, a collaborative monograph relating to the main themes, and a postgraduate skills guide on working with early medieval law.
Early English Laws
Early English Laws is an AHRC-funded project to publish online and in print new editions and translations of all English legal codes, edicts, and treatises produced up to the time of Magna Carta 1215 and to provide each with introductions and full commentary on all aspects of the texts, language, and law. It aims to transform the way in which these improved texts can be used by scholars and will provide a comprehensive resource on early law.
Supervision
I am interested in supervising PhD students in the areas of:
- History of international law and medieval diplomacy
- Early medieval legal history
- Medieval warfare
- Medieval Scandinavia
- Political and cultural history of the early and high Middle Ages
