Gerard Nijsten, born in Maastricht, the Netherlands, in 1956. Ph.D. from Radboud University Nijmegen. Teacher of Medieval History at the Hogeschool Holland, Diemen.
Fellow (1 September 1997 – 30 June 1998)
During my ten-month stay I completed the manuscript on court culture in the Duchy of Guelders. It will be translated and published by the end of 1999 under the title In the Shadow of Burgundy. Art, Culture and Politics at a Netherlandish Court: Guelders in the Late Middle Ages. Much scholarly attention has been given to life at the great courts of medieval Europe, such as those of England and, in particular, the famous court of the Valois Dukes of Burgundy. Their very luxury and splendour make these courts truly exceptional and precisely for this reason they cannot be taken as paradigms for medieval courtly culture in general. Most courts were far smaller, and information about them is often sparse and erratic. A medium-size court like Guelders may therefore be more informative and representative than the really large courts.
After having completed the first project I made a start with the edition of a text, describing Duke Arnold of Guelder’s journey to the Holy Land in 1450-1452. I finished the transcription of the unpublished text and started to study the relevant literature on this topic. I hope to finish this second project by the end of 1999.