Medieval Studies old and new

Summer 2011 sees the completion of a major project in medieval history at King's, the Henry III Fine Rolls. Undertaken in collaboration with The National Archives and the Arts & Humanities Research Council, this project has been directed by Professor David Carpenter of the Department of History, who is organising a conference on 24 and 25 June to mark its completion. The Henry III Fine Rolls has been distinctive for the way in which it has captured the public imagination through its use of blogs, online discussion groups, the 'Fine of the Month'competition and coverage in popular journals such as BBC History Magazine. Professor Carpenter's project typifies the King's approach to medieval studies, which combines rigorously high standards in literary and archival research with the best developments in digital technology. The College is particularly proud of Dr Alice Rio, who studied here both as an undergraduate and Masters student before completing a PhD under the supervision of Professor Dame Jinty Nelson. Dr Rio won the Royal Historical Alexander Prize in 2007, the Royal Historical Gladstone Prize in 2010 and a Philip Leverhulme Prize, to enable a young scholar to further their personal research, also in 2010. Dr Rio is now Lecturer in Medieval European History at King's, where her colleagues include distinguished historian of Late Antiquity Professor Peter Heather and Reader in Medieval History Dr Stephen Baxter, a scholar of the Doomsday Book who is about to start a second period of filming with the BBC.