Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, University of Kent
University of Kent at Canterbury, Thursday 3rd – Saturday 5th September 2026
CALL FOR PAPERS
Proposals are now invited for The Fifteenth Century Conference 2026. This annual meeting brings together established scholars and new researchers working on the history of the long fifteenth century in the British Isles, Ireland, or in the French territories of the English monarchy. Canterbury provides a highly appropriate venue for this conference, with its long history of international connections and cultural exchanges that moulded British identities. The local organisers this year are Drs David Rundle and Sheila Sweetinburgh.
We invite proposals for research papers on any subject relating to the above fields, and proposals on all kinds of history are welcome. Papers should be 40 minutes in length. They should be based on original research and be suitable for working up for submission to The Fifteenth Century (The Fifteenth Century – Boydell and Brewer), an edited series closely associated with the Conference. Please note, however, that there is no obligation to publish and submissions to this series undergo a separate peer-review process.
Proposals from postgraduates at the later stages of doctoral work and from early-career researchers are particularly encouraged. We also want to include doctoral students at an early stage of their research, so a poster session is under consideration. All speakers will be expected to deliver their papers in person and to pay the standard registration and other fees. This cost-sharing helps to make the conference as affordable as possible for everyone. The Richard III Society is kindly offering two £250 bursaries for postgraduate speakers at the conference: details here.
Please send proposals for papers to BOTH David Rundle (d.g.rundle@kent.ac.uk) AND Sheila Sweetinburgh (S.M.Sweetinburgh@kent.ac.uk) by 31 January 2026. Proposals should include a title and an abstract of the paper totalling no more than 300 words. Along with the abstract, please also provide a short biography (max. of 250 words), which should include any institutional affiliations and, in the case of postgraduate students, the name of your PhD supervisor. All proposals will be reviewed by the Fifteenth Century Conference advisory board.