Mikhail Boytsov, born in Moscow, Russia, in 1961. Ph.D. from Moscow State University. Associate Professor in Medieval History at Moscow State University.
Visiting Grant Scholar (1 February 2007 – 30 April 2007)
ADVENTUS DOMINI IN EUROPE BETWEEN LATE ANTIQUITY AND RENAISSANCE
During three months spent at NIAS I managed to: 1. elaborate one of the central parts of my adventus-project devoted to the custom according to which princes during their solemn entries into cities and towns used to bring with them criminals exiled from there for their misdeeds; 2. deeply modify other chapters of my future book about medieval rituals of power, bringing several of them to consistence ready for sending to publisher; 3. complete my quite new study (a pretty long article) about the “Holy Crown” and “Holy Bridle” of Emperor Honorius; 4. take part in the conference “Zelebrieren und Verhandeln. Zur Praxis ständischer Institutionen im frühneuzeitlichen Europa” (Wassenaar, March 21 – 23), as well as in another one: “Stedelijke Dynamiek in de Middeleeuwen. 33e promovendi-symposium van de Onderzoekschool Mediëvistiek” (Twello & Deventer, April, 19 – 21), holding on the last occasion the lecture “Adventus and Collective Memory. How did Medieval Citizens Invent their Rituals?”