EVENING LECTURE: 'Unlocking the secrets of Medieval Europe’s longest universal history' - Dr Katie Brown

Part of our 2026-27 Roots & Networks Lecture Series

Join us for a drinks reception from 6pm. The lecture will start at 6.30pm and afterwards there'll be time for questions.

'Unlocking the secrets of Medieval Europe’s longest universal history: An international and interdisciplinary study of the General e grand estoria'

Dr Katie Brown 

Can the desire for knowledge drive collaboration in spite of seemingly insurmountable religious differences? 800 years ago, in Medieval Iberia, though there was conflict and power struggles between Muslims, Christians, and Jews, scholars from the three faiths worked side by side to translate and co-produce what became the foundations of our contemporary knowledge systems. In southern Iberia and across the Mediterranean, a new information highway forged by trade and conflict fostered collaborations that drove innovation across the arts and sciences, from medicine and mathematics to theology, philosophy, and music.

In the 13th Century, Medieval encyclopedism in the form of universal histories reflected a rise in curiosity that involved collaboration, translation, synthesis, analysis, and diplomacy. The General e grand estoria (GGE), a universal history commissioned by King Alfonso X, is a uniquely vast and rich resource, bringing together Christian, Muslim, and Jewish sources, as well as apocryphal and Classical ones, translated into the newly-evolving Castilian language. At over 6000 pages long, the text aimed to tell the entire history of humanity, though it remained unfinished after Alfonso’s death in 1284.

Now, thanks to a Partnership Grant from the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, an international and interdisciplinary team of over 50 researchers across eight countries are collaborating to unlock the secrets of this enormous text. Combining traditional humanities skills with digital innovations, we are producing a digital edition of the text complete with annotations; translations into English, French and modern Spanish; educational materials and interactive resources.

In this talk, Katie will establish the significance of the General e grand estoria, introduce their  collaborative research practice and share insights from our research so far.