The Geography of Indulgence: A Historical and Geographic Analysis of Indulgence Grants in 15th Century England

Live Poster Session: Zoom Link
Thursday, July 30th 1:15-2:30pm EDT

Julia G. Gyourko
Julia G. Gyourko

My name is Julia Gyourko, and I am a rising senior from Swarthmore, PA. I am pursuing a major in Contemporary and European History, with a minor in Global Engagement. On campus, I’ve been involved as a member the Wesleyan Debate Society, the Wesleyan Refugee Project, Wesleyan Concert Choir, and as a historical research assistant for the Astronomy department.

Abstract: The purpose of this project was to use geographic modelling to learn about the lives of two 15th Century Archbishops of York, John Kempe (1426-1452), and William Booth (1452-1464). For this analysis, we examined the geographic distribution and categorization of their indulgence grants, compiled from their original 15th Century bishop’s registers. We found that their indulgence recipients were located across England and the world, highlighting both the influence of these archbishops and the interconnectedness of Medieval society. Furthermore, the indulgence recipients represented a diverse range of institutions (e.g., churches, hospitals) and individuals (e.g., crime victims, prisoners, the physically impaired). Finally, this analysis demonstrated the wide degree of freedom that each archbishop exercised in granting their indulgences, both topically and geographically. Ultimately, this research contributes to the growing body of evidence showing that the Medieval world was highly complex and interconnected, and provides further insight into meticulous infrastructure of indulgence giving in Medieval England.

Jgyourko_FinalPoster-Julia-Gyourko

Live Poster Session: Zoom Link
Thursday, July 30th 1:15-2:30pm EDT

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