Victoria Medieval Conference

An annual event uniting students, scholars, and the public

The program of Medieval Studies invites you to the Victoria Medieval Conference, a day of talks, music and conversations with the members of the program and their guests.

See our Past Workshops.

Interested in volunteering? Send us an email!

Medieval Utopias

February 1, 2025
Location: TBA

Save the date!

Utopian thinking about the future has a long history. Join us for a three-hour symposium about idealized political projects, spiritual expectations, and otherworldly fancies. What are some examples of medieval utopias, and who tried to bring them into being? When have medieval times themselves been treated as utopian? Come along to discover where people in the past located grounds for hope and collective improvement. Our featured speakers will address a range of medieval sources in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, and Latin.

Note the new format for this year’s event: the three-hour gathering will consist of a main seminar, a multi-person panel, musical interludes and a marketplace featuring the wares of local artisans.

Return to our site to register and reserve a seat at this event. Participants will receive pre-circulated readings in the weeks leading up to the seminar. We hope to broadcast the talks over Zoom for those unable to make it on campus. Check this space again for more info in the fall!

Online donations towards to conference and student support are welcome at any time.

Time for the Middle Ages (2024)

It’s time for the Middle Ages! Join us for a daylong discovery of the way time was treated as a complex dimension of medieval thought. We will begin by asking with Augustine, “What then is time?” Is it an aspect of inner consciousness or something out in the world? How does time change across cultures? And who or what keeps time? Come along for a series of exciting talks on the seasons, calendars, chronology, cosmology, eschatology, and periodization around the premodern globe. As we will soon find out, a unit of time is not the same across all times and places.

Daily Life in the Medieval Household (2023)

Please join us on Saturday, February 4, 2023, for a look at the comforts, hazards, and secrets of daily life in the medieval household. From Beijing to Baghdad to Bergen, what was the level of material enjoyment and efficiency in medieval homes around the world? How many people slept in one bed? To what extent were belongings shared and safeguarded? What were the roles of children among other members of kith and kin? Who was included and excluded? Join us for a one-day exploration of medieval domesticity and daily life.

Medieval Conspiracies, Fakes, and Follies (2022)

Medieval fakes and facsimiles are all around us. Come to this daylong event for a timely and amusing consideration of medieval forgeries, fabricated histories, bizarre plots and obsessions. Learn about imposter kings, counterfeit charters, conspiracy theories, phoney relics, and much more. It will be a chance to reflect on how people in the past sorted fact from fancy, and to what extent medieval fantasies continue to shape the modern world.

Viking Life and Lore (2021)

A voyage to the countries we now call Iceland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Their Scandinavian inhabitants have long shared thier stories and cultures with us. Follow the Vikings’ dragon ships, learn about the latest archaeological digs, review your Norse mythology and decipher maps of the world! The day will pass quickly with art, stories, sea adventures and history.”