Promoting interdisciplinary study of the Middle Ages by bringing together specialists from several different subject areas within Cardiff University to collaborate in research and graduate teaching.
We aim to promote interdisciplinary study of the Middle Ages, bringing together specialists from several different subject areas within the University to collaborate in high-quality research and graduate teaching. Members of the Centre include staff and postgraduate students from the departments of History, Archaeology & Heritage, Languages & Linguistics, Literatures, Creative Writing, Music & Visual Cultures, Philosophy, Religion & Ethics, and Welsh.
We run a regular programme of research seminars, providing a focus for collaboration and discussion as well as an opportunity to bring scholars to the University from overseas. Our academic and social events are open to, and well supported by, non-University medievalists in the region.
We are a research collective with expertise across a range of areas related to the Middle Ages, with a focus on the literatures, languages, histories and material cultures of Wales and the British Isles, Europe, and Byzantium, 500-1500. This includes the following clusters:
- Languages and Linguistics (Middle Welsh, Old Norse, Old English, Middle English, Old French)
- Arthuriana
- The Supernatural and Religion
- Saints and their Cults
- Crusades
- Diplomacy and International Relations
- Environmental Humanities
- Gender and Alterity
- Medievalism
The Centre for Medieval Studies is co-directed by Professor Sara Pons-Sanz (English Language), David Callander (Welsh) and Liam Lewis (English Literature).
To join our mailing list, sign up on Jiscmail. We also run a Microsoft Teams channel for members.
Meet the team
Academic staff
Dr Rob Gossedge
Dean of Undergraduate Studies for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Senior Lecturer
Postgraduate students
Events
Henry Loyn Lecture
The Centre for Medieval Studies organises the biennial Henry Loyn Memorial Lecture. In April 2026, this lecture was delivered by Professor John Hines.
Seminar Programme 2026-27
We run a regular programme of research seminars with external and internal speakers from across our different subject areas.
All regular talks on Tuesdays begin at 17:15.
Autumn Semester
6th October, John Percival Building
Rebecca Thomas (Cardiff)
3rd November, John Percival Building
Professor Sara Pons-Sanz (Cardiff)
23rd November, John Percival Building
Jacob Abell (Baylor University)
11th December, John Percival Building
Jessica Shales (Cardiff)
Conferences and Workshops
In April 2026, the Centre supported the hosting of an interdisciplinary Conference on Medieval Wales. Speakers from a range of disciplines (including history, archaeology and literature) will present papers on the most recent research on medieval Wales.
In 2025-26 we collaborated with the GW4 (University of Bristol and University of Exeter) to host training in Digital Humanities for medievalists. These workshops have included hands-on training, talks on various aspects, and an opportunity for participants to network with medievalists from different institutions.
Recent Publications
- Gordon, S. 2025. Sexual sin and the walking dead in the Chronicle of Lanercost. Viator 55 (2)
- Gordon, S. 2025. The revenant in Europe: Medieval England. In: Bacon, S. ed. The Palgrave Handbook of the Zombie. Cham: Palgrave. , pp.61-77. (10.1007/978-3-032-05696-2_2)
- Lewis, L. and O'Regan, H. 2026. The origins of bear-baiting: Evidence from Medieval England and France. Society and Animals (10.1163/15685306-bja10301)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2025. Norse-derived terms in the Ormulum: A reappraisal. York: Arc Humanities Press. (10.2307/jj.24382401)
- Webster, P. 2025. The Military Orders and the Minority of King Henry III. In: Edbury, P. and Webster, P. eds. Military Orders and Crusades: Essays Presented to Helen J. Nicholson. Routledge. , pp.129-145. (10.4324/9781003376286-13)
- Wright, E. et al., 2025. What does a bear baiting assemblage look like? Interdisciplinary analysis of an early modern “sport”. Antiquity 99 (404), pp.536-552. (10.15184/aqy.2024.228)
Other outputs from Centre members:
- A recent news item in The Telegraph on the evidence for bears in medieval England.
- A book chapter on ‘Medieval Legal Treatises from the Latin East in the Langue d’Oil’ in the book L’Experience des croisades et les échanges culturels au Moyen Âge tardif.
- A podcast: ‘Deus Vult! The Templars in Cyprus’ with Andreas Charalambous (43 minutes)
Schools
Next steps
Research that matters
Our research makes a difference to people’s lives as we work across disciplines to tackle major challenges facing society, the economy and our environment.
Postgraduate research
Our research degrees give the opportunity to investigate a specific topic in depth among field-leading researchers.
Our research impact
Our research case studies highlight some of the areas where we deliver positive research impact.