Journal of Medieval History

Journal of Medieval History
Title	Journal of Medieval History
Discipline	Medieval studies
Abbreviation	J. Mediev. Hist.
Editor	[See Editorial Structure and Peer Review]
Publisher	[See Publication and Access]
History	1975–present
Frequency	Quarterly
Issn	0304-4181

Journal of Medieval History The Journal of Medieval History is a peer-reviewed academic periodical devoted to the study of medieval Europe, the Mediterranean, and broader Eurasian and African connections during the period conventionally framed as the Middle Ages. It publishes research articles, review essays, and historiographical analyses that engage with primary sources such as chronicles, charters, legal codes, liturgical texts, and material culture. Contributors have addressed topics ranging from Carolingian administration to Byzantine diplomacy, Viking expansion, Crusader states, and late medieval urban networks.

History

Established in 1975, the journal emerged amid institutional developments in medieval studies associated with universities and learned societies such as University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Université de Paris, King's College London, and associations like the Medieval Academy of America and the Royal Historical Society. Early issues reflected scholarly debates connected to frameworks promoted by historians such as Geoffrey Barraclough, Marc Bloch, J. H. Plumb, Eileen Power, and G. G. Coulton, and engaged with source editions tied to projects like the Monumenta Germaniae Historica and the Patrologia Latina. Over subsequent decades the journal tracked historiographical shifts influenced by work on feudalism discussed by Marc Bloch and Susan Reynolds, economic studies influenced by Carlo Cipolla and Robert S. Lopez, and cultural approaches inspired by Jacques Le Goff and Caroline Walker Bynum. Special issues have intersected with events such as conferences hosted at Warburg Institute, Institute for Advanced Study, British Academy, and Villa I Tatti.

Scope and Content

The journal covers political, social, economic, religious, intellectual, and cultural history across regions including England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Byzantine Empire, Ottoman Empire, Iberian Peninsula, Levant, Crusader States, Normandy, Scandinavia, Kievan Rus', Holy Roman Empire, Kingdom of Hungary, Poland, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Al-Andalus, Fatimid Caliphate, Mamluk Sultanate, Ayyubid dynasty, and Seljuk Empire. Articles engage with primary materials such as the Domesday Book, Magna Carta, Corpus Iuris Civilis, Capitulary of Charlemagne, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Alexiad, Gesta Francorum, Annales Bertiniani, and corpuses from archival holdings like the National Archives (UK), Archives Nationales (France), Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Archivo General de Simancas, and monastic collections such as those of Mount Athos and Cluny Abbey. Thematic pieces have examined warfare (e.g., Battle of Hastings, Siege of Jerusalem (1099)), diplomacy (e.g., Treaty of Verdun, Treaty of Troyes), law (e.g., Assizes of Clarendon, Fueros), material culture (e.g., Bayeux Tapestry, Gothic architecture), intellectual history (e.g., Scholasticism, Peter Abelard, Thomas Aquinas), and trade networks (e.g., Hanseatic League, Silk Road, Venetian Republic).

Editorial Structure and Peer Review

The editorial board typically comprises an editor-in-chief supported by associate editors and an international advisory board drawn from institutions such as Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University, University of Toronto, University of St Andrews, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Università di Bologna, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales. Peer review is double-blind, relying on external referees who are specialists in subfields like palaeography associated with scholars in archives at Vatican Secret Archives, economic history connected to researchers at Institute of Historical Research, and art history from museums such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Louvre. The journal issues calls for papers and thematic dossiers coordinated with academic conferences held at venues like International Medieval Congress (Leeds), Congress of the Medieval Academy of America, and symposia at research centers including Centre for Medieval Studies (Toronto).

Publication and Access

Published quarterly, the journal has been issued by major academic publishers and university presses with distribution through library consortia and online platforms used by institutions such as JSTOR, Project MUSE, EBSCOhost, and national library subscriptions including the British Library. Print runs and digital archives make back issues available in holdings at repositories like the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Bodleian Libraries, Library of Congress, and university libraries across Europe and North America. The journal offers subscription access, institutional licensing, and options for authors to deposit preprints or comply with funder mandates associated with agencies such as the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the European Research Council.

Abstracting and Indexing

Articles are indexed in major bibliographic databases and abstracting services including Scopus, Web of Science, Historical Abstracts, MLA International Bibliography, ATLA Religion Database, and library catalogues such as WorldCat. Indexing enhances discoverability for researchers consulting bibliographies of monographs and edited volumes published by presses like Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Routledge, Brepols, Walter de Gruyter, and Brill.

Impact and Reception

The journal is regarded within medieval studies as influential for advancing debates on topics tied to scholars like R. I. Moore, Chris Wickham, Janet L. Nelson, Richard Southern, and David Herlihy. Citation metrics recorded in databases such as Journal Citation Reports and Google Scholar reflect its role in shaping research on feudal structures, urbanization, gender history related to figures such as Eleanor of Aquitaine and Empress Matilda, crusading studies involving Richard I of England and Saladin, and cross-cultural encounters in the Mediterranean centered on cities like Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Palermo, and Cordoba. The journal's articles are routinely cited in monographs, edited collections, conference proceedings, and doctoral dissertations produced across major research universities and institutes.

Category:Medieval studies journals