The way you make me feel: Crusading and emotions, past and present
I’m Holly, a PhD student in the French department. My research is in the field of the History of Emotions. I’m also a French Language Advisor in the Language Lounge, where I help undergraduate students with any difficulties they have about their studies, for example through conversation practice or help with grammar.
In 2015, I graduated from the University of Oxford with a BA (Hons) in French and Spanish. During my first degree, I spent a year abroad, first as a British Council English Language Assistant in two Parisian secondary schools, and then working as a translator for an equestrian goods wholesaler in Salamanca, Spain. After my first degree, I spent a year teaching French and Spanish at an international boarding school, before undertaking an MA in Medieval Studies at the University of Leeds.
In 2021 I started a PhD in French here at the University of Liverpool after being awarded funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council to carry out my PhD project. In my free time, I love visiting historical cities around the world, dancing, and generally being creative through painting, playing the piano, doing crochet and writing short stories.
My research
My current project looks at crusading propaganda from the 15th century court of Burgundy, which was a major centre of literary and artistic production in the late Middle Ages. My project focuses on the court of Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy, who decided to plan a crusade as a response to the Ottoman Turks defeating the Eastern Christian capital, Constantinople, in 1453. Philip threw lavish banquets and had many expensive, beautifully illustrated books produced to try and persuade his courtiers to go on crusade with him. I am studying several texts produced during the period, which tell tales of valiant knights from the past who defeated non-Christian enemies and who would have been admired by many crusaders.
My research looks at how emotions are portrayed in literature and how they are distributed between characters of different genders and ‘racial-religious’ identities. The texts use emotions constantly to persuade the audience of how much better the Christians were than their enemies. For example, there is a bias towards depicting the emotions of male, Christian characters, persuading the audience to identify with those characters who feel the ‘right’ emotions, unlike enemy characters who are afraid of death or who rejoice at Christian losses. ‘Good’ characters love God and hate their enemy, suppress their grief on the battlefield, and find joy in the belief that crusaders will go to Heaven. The propaganda was very effective, because many knights promised to go on crusade with Philip – though he never successfully launched a crusade in the end.
Understanding the role emotions play in military propaganda is still highly relevant to learning more about modern-day conflicts between East and West, especially as the Crusades are largely responsible for creating this discord in the first place. Unfortunately, crusading is often referenced as a positive thing nowadays, without considering the true violence and hatred involved in past Crusades. I hope that my research will cast some light on the role emotions play in situations of conflict and help to change perspectives on the true nature of the Crusades and conflict more widely.
My next steps and beyond
I will be finishing my PhD in 2025 and hope to continue working in the education sector in some capacity, especially as I hugely enjoy teaching and have worked with students of all levels, from primary age to university undergraduates. I am open to different possibilities but am keen to continue my research as an independent scholar, as I really love medieval French literature and believe that understanding the History of Emotions is crucial to learning more about modern-day society and finding ways to reduce conflict in the world.
My 3-minute thesis
Writing the 3-minute thesis was not easy! However, I found it a really valuable experience because it helped me to pin down the finer points of my research at a crucial stage in my project. It also helped me to think about why my research is relevant to modern audiences, as I had many discussions with family and friends that helped me to find ways of making my research accessible to non-specialist audiences.
I really enjoyed attending the 3MT final, too, and hearing all the other fantastic presentations from my fellow finalists – everyone was so friendly and there is some really fantastic research being carried out at the University. If anyone is even slightly thinking of entering the competition, especially in the later stages of a PhD but really at any level, I would say go for it, because it was a great opportunity to learn more about public engagement, as well as understanding my own research better and making new friends.