Since rulers of the Imperial Roman Period and the Early Middle Ages occupied the highest (secular) position, individuals who exerted influence on them enjoyed a great extent of power. As a consequence, there was bitter rivalry between the various agents, which is reflected in discourses on legitimate and illegitimate influence. The goal of the conference is to establish interpersonal influence as a subject of historical research. Furthermore the study of influence on rulers is to make a contribution towards political history as well as the history of mentalities and discourse.

Argument

Since rulers of the Imperial Roman Period and the Early Middle Ages occupied the highest (secular) position, individuals who exerted influence on them enjoyed a great extent of power. As a consequence, there was bitter rivalry between the various agents, which is reflected in discourses on legitimate and illegitimate influence.

The protagonists who exerted influence on rulers, i.e. who could influence or even initiate decisions, have not been investigated thoroughly yet, as they formed a heterogeneous group of people that can neither be understood entirely in terms of institutions nor grasped by their proximity to the emperor. Furthermore, certain agents of influence were stereotyped so heavily, that searching the written sources for historical “reality” may appear pointless or impossible. Finally, neither in Classics nor in Medieval History there is a tradition of studying interpersonal influence.

By employing approaches of the social sciences, this conference aims to better recognize and describe the resources and strategies of influencing agents as well as the modes and conditions of influence attempts. At the same time, the influence that agents claimed, condemned, and exerted, shall be scrutinized with the instruments of source criticism and discourse analysis. The proposed period of investigation is to allow approaching the subject either in the longue duree or in terms of disruptions.

The goal of the conference is to establish interpersonal influence as a subject of historical research.

Furthermore the study of influence on rulers is to make a contribution towards political history as well as the history of mentalities and discourse.

Contributions should focus on the following and related topics:

- Ancient and modern theories of influence

- Prosopography of influencing agents

- Typology of influence attempts

- Influence and discourse

Submission guidelines

Proposals and abstracts should be sent to Fabian.Schulz@adw.uni-heidelberg.de

by 31 March 2014