Niall Ó Súilleabháin – Medieval Historian

Practices of Unfreedom in Northern France c. 888 – c. 1120

Practices of Unfreedom in Northern France, c. 888 – c. 1120 (PUNF) is a 24-month project which aims to fundamentally re-frame the social history of the thousands of unfree persons living in France during the central middle ages. It does so by applying methods and frameworks from the growing field of the history of slavery and dependence, moving away from redundant narratives of a ‘transformation’ from antique slavery to medieval serfdom.

An illustration from the Stuttgart Psalter, showing two armed men leading away two bound prisoners. Württembergische Landesbibliothek, Cod. Bibl. fol. 23, fol 78v (detail).
Image from the Stuttgart Psalter; Württembergische Landesbibliothek, Cod. Bibl. fol. 23, fol 78v (detail).

Drawing upon a wide range of documentary sources from four ecclesiastical provinces in Northern France (Tours, Rouen, Sens and Reims), its core objective is to create a database of the practices and interactions between unfree dependents and their lords in the period AD 888 to AD 1121. The database is currently under construction, using the Heurist database system. Once completed, this database will allow for a detailed analysis of the social and economic roles played by practices of unfreedom in medieval society. The project’s three key research themes will underpin this analysis:  

The PUNF project is being conducted over 24 months at the Centre d’études supérieures de civilisation médievale (CESCM) a vibrant, interdisciplinary centre for medieval studies based in Poitiers, France, and jointly-run by the French Centre nationale de la recherche scientifique and the Université de Poitiers. The research is under the supervision of Prof. Martin Aurell and is funded by a Marie Skłdowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship.

  1. The Imposition of Unfreedom: How did lords impose their demands upon the unfree? Did they prioritise social or economic domination, and what can this reveal about strategies of élite power?
  2. The Agency of the Unfree: Who did unfree people react to these demands? To what extent could they negotiate, evade or undermine the demands of lords?
  3. The Historical Record of Unfreedom: When, where and how were practices of unfreedom written down, described and preserved? What can these processes of source creation reveal about the practice of unfreedom and the silences in the archive?

This website will be used to provide updates on the project’s progress and outcomes, including links to publications, resources and the project database – be sure to check back for updates!

Version française à venir !