Jeroen Duindam, born in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in 1962. Ph.D. from Utrecht University. Professor of Early Modern European History at Leiden University.
Fellow (1 February 2014 – 30 June 2014)
DYNASTY: A GLOBAL HISTORY 1300-1800
Research Question
Which cross-cultural patterns can be established in global practices of dynastic rule from the Mongol conquest to the phase of unchallenged European military and economic hegemony?
Project Description
Dynastic forms of power are dominant in history, across boundaries in space and time. The social practices of dynastic power, based on the extended household of the ruler, show some remarkably persistent patterns regarding 1) the person and position of the figure in the centre; 2) succession and reproduction; 3) spatial and social arrangements around the ruler; 4) interactions with the population. This study charts the multiple variants within these recurring aspects of the dynastic constellation, seeking to provide a more structural understanding of the underlying tensions. While it includes examples from across the globe, the Eurasian continent will be particularly present. This comparative effort aims to reach beyond regional-temporal typologies (‘Oriental despotism’, ‘European absolutism’), situating common East-West trajectories against the topoi of dynastic power.
Selected Publications
1) Vienna and Versailles. The Courts of Europe’s Dynastic Rivals, 1550-1780 (Cambridge 2003); paperback edition Cambridge 2007; Italian (2004) and Spanish (2009) translations.
2) Myths of Power. Norbert Elias and the Early Modern European Court (Amsterdam 1995)
3) (with co-editors Metin Kunt and Tulay Artan) Royal courts in dynastic states and empires: a global perspective (Leiden; Boston 2011) available through open access.