Category Archives: Mediterranean World

Betting on the New Pope

Posted on February 23, 2013 by briansandberg

Pope Benedict XVI’s surprise announcement that he will resign and go into retirement stunned the Catholic world. Some Catholics have been protesting Benedict XVI’s decision, claiming that popes can never step down, while other believers have been flocking to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, European History, Italian History, Mediterranean World, Political Culture, Reformation History, Renaissance Art and History, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Pope Benedict XVI Announces Resignation

Posted on February 11, 2013 by briansandberg

Pope Benedict XVI has surprised Italians and the world with an announcement that he plans to resign the Papal throne and go into retirement at the end of the month. Benedict XVI is 85 years old and says that he … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, European History, European Union, History in the Media, Italian History, Mediterranean World, Renaissance Art and History, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Knights of Malta Celebrate 900th Anniversary

Posted on February 9, 2013 by briansandberg

The Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, also known as the Knights of Malta, is celebrating its 900th anniversary. The Order of Saint John of Jerusalem was founded as a crusading Christian military order in the 11th century and transformed … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, European Wars of Religion, History in the Media, History of Violence, Maritime History, Mediterranean World, Noble Culture and History of Elites, Religious Violence, Renaissance Art and History, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment

Preserving Timbuktu’s Cultural Heritage

Posted on February 4, 2013 by briansandberg

Timbuktu has been an important center of Islamic learning, scientific research, and legal scholarship for centuries. The city’s medieval manuscript collections are regarded as some of the best in the Islamic world. Because of its libraries and architectural sites, Timbuktu … Continue reading →

Posted in Archival Research, Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, Digital Humanities, Early Modern World, History of the Book, History of Violence, Mediterranean World, Museums and Historical Memory, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

Seminar on Paleography and Archival Studies

Posted on January 28, 2013 by briansandberg

Seminar on Paleography and Archival Studies For the third consecutive year, the Medici Archive Project will be offering a two-week intensive seminar on archival research especially intended for advanced graduate students in Renaissance and early modern studies. This seminar will … Continue reading →

Posted in Archival Research, Conferences, Digital Humanities, Early Modern Europe, Graduate Work in History, Grants and Fellowships, Italian History, Mediterranean World, Reformation History, Renaissance Art and History, Study Abroad | Leave a comment

Multicultural European History

Posted on January 26, 2013 by briansandberg

Europe has a long history of immigration and cultural mixing that has often been obscured by nationalist historical writing from the nineteenth century to today.  Although historical definitions of Europe have often cast “Europeans” as white, this racial description has … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, Early Modern World, European History, Globalization, Mediterranean World | Leave a comment

French Air Power in Mali

Posted on January 14, 2013 by briansandberg

The French military intervention in Mali is only a few days old, but already French air power is having an impact. According to the French Defense Minister, Rafale and Mirage fighter-bombers have flown a number of sorties over Mali, bombing … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Civilians and Refugees in War, European History, European Union, French History, History of Violence, Mediterranean World, Political Culture, Strategy and International Politics, Terrorism, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

French Military Intervention in Mali

Posted on January 12, 2013 by briansandberg

French President François Hollande has launched a military intervention into war-torn Mali, where a civil war has been raging for months. The French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault explained the rationale for the French intervention, claiming that military action is justified … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Conflict, Empires and Imperialism, European Union, French History, History of Violence, Mediterranean World, Political Culture, State Development Theory, Strategy and International Politics, Terrorism, Uncategorized, War, Culture, and Society | Leave a comment

NEH Summer Institute on Mediterranean History

Posted on July 13, 2012 by briansandberg

I am currently in Barcelona participating in a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute on Networks and Knowledge: Synthesis and Innovation in the Muslim-Christian-Jewish Medieval Mediterranean. This month-long faculty seminar provides an opportunity for university and college professors … Continue reading →

Posted in Conferences, Current Research, Early Modern World, Mediterranean World | Leave a comment

Swiss Guard Saved Rome

Posted on May 6, 2012 by briansandberg

The legendary Swiss Guard of the Vatican is in the news today on the anniversary of the Sack of Rome of 1527. NPR reports on the swearing in ceremonies of the Swiss Guard in Rome today. Northern Illinois University students … Continue reading →

Posted in Early Modern Europe, European History, European Wars of Religion, History in the Media, Mediterranean World, Mercenaries, Renaissance Art and History, War, Culture, and Society, Warfare in the Early Modern World | Leave a comment