University of Kent to host 17th International Congress of Medieval Canon Law, 7-13 July 2024

Libellus Responsionum manuscript

Next summer, the University of Kent will welcome the 17th International Congress of Medieval Canon Law to Canterbury, which will be held 7-13 July 2024.

These congresses take place every four years on alternate sides of the Atlantic and constitute the leading academic conferences in the field of medieval canon law. Traditionally they have drawn scholars from many countries, including not only medievalists and lawyers, but also those who study related fields, such as Western jurisprudence and legal norms, Roman law, ecclesiastical and papal history, theology and biblical exegesis, manuscript studies, and the history of culture, society, and ideas.

Medieval canon law contributed to an international system of law for hundreds of years and had a significant impact on the development of Western law, as well as on the history of Christianity, especially the evolution of papal authority.

Prof Barbara Bombi and Dr Edward Roberts of MEMS are organising the Congress alongside Prof Peter Clarke (Southampton). The event will be held in collaboration with Canterbury Cathedral and Kent Archives. The Congress has not been held in the UK since 1984, so this promises to be a landmark event for scholars and students working in medieval canon law and its related disciplines.

The call for papers is currently live, with a deadline of 15 December. For more information and updates regarding programme and registration, please visit www.icmcl2024.org.

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