Mapping medieval manuscripts

Mapping medieval manuscripts: how surviving romance manuscripts are aiding the search for People of Colour in North Atlantic medieval Europe

Medieval manuscripts offer a unique window into the lives and imaginations of the past. Illuminated pages can point to wealthy patrons, while the texts themselves reveal the interests and concerns of medieval readers. Some aspects of the medieval world, however, are less visible. Tracing the presence of People of Colour in North Atlantic medieval Europe is one such challenge. While representations exist, the question remains: how can we locate the real people behind the stories?

This talk explores a key part of Georgie Anderson’s research, which combines literary analysis with codicological methods to build a database of surviving manuscripts. This approach uncovers how stories featuring People of Colour were shared, read and preserved. Focusing on The Hague, KB, MS 129A 10 and the Middle Dutch romance Morien, Georgie will demonstrate her process from working with the manuscript in the archive to transforming the data into visual maps that link related texts. These connections help to trace how narratives moved through time and space, offering insights into the lives of people who have often been overlooked in historical accounts.

This event is part of the Fulham Palace Black History 365 series, which invites audiences to explore hidden histories and hear the voices of those who have been marginalised.

About the speaker

Georgie Anderson is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the University of Kent. Her project, Tracing the Figure of the Black Knight in Chivalric Romances from North Atlantic Europe, is supported by CHASE and the Stuart Hall Foundation. Her research uses both literary and manuscript-based methods to explore the presence of People of Colour in the medieval world. Her recent publication includes a chapter titled Masculinity, Monstrosity, and the Uncanny in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and David Lowery’s The Green Knight (2021), featured in Unveiling the Green, edited by Dr Jonathan Fruoco and published by Presses universitaires de Paris Nanterre.

Event details:

• This talk is part of the Black History 365 series.
• This event is suitable for ages 16+.