Centre for Medieval Studies

Internationally-recognised for the study of the Middle Ages, with diverse teaching and research across the humanities and beyond.

Postgraduate study

Join a world-leading centre for postgraduate study and research into the Middle Ages.

Advance your expertise with our specialised Masters or our PhD, specifically dedicated to the study of the medieval world.

Discover our courses

Find scholarships and funding

Events

We have a lively schedule of events running throughout the year, bringing together medieval researchers from across the country and the world for workshops, conferences and lectures. We also have student-led activities ranging from study groups to amateur dramatics.

Event

Rethinking the Reign of Offa, King of the Mercians (757-796)

Tuesday 10 November 2026 6.15pm

York Medieval Lecture Series with Rory Naismith, University of Cambridge

Event

Reception or Resemblance? Reading the Icelandic Sagas alongside the Bible

Tuesday 17 November 2026 6.15pm

Annual Riddy Lecture with Siân Grønlie, University of Oxford

Event

Non-Elite Pilgrims to Lough Derg in the Late Medieval Period

Monday 23 November 2026 6pm

Ideology, Society, and Medieval Religion Seminar Series with Tara Shields, Queen’s University Belfast

Event

Within Caxton's ambit? Investigating the 'Trinity Anthologies Scribe'

Tuesday 1 December 2026 6.15pm

Medieval Literatures Seminar with speaker Holly James-Maddocks (University of York).

More events

Research

Revealing a connected medieval world through interdisciplinary research.

At York, our research spans the global Middle Ages, from the Vikings to Islamic art, British and European history, multilingualism to palaeography and beyond. Our commitment to knowledge exchange and public engagement has placed us at the forefront of major national and international research projects.

The strength of our research is evident in the publications and impact of our contributing departments and their outstanding performances in the Times Higher Education’s ranking of the latest REF results (2021). The Department of Archaeology holds the highest REF rating for research support.

Explore our research

Regular events

We host a huge range of exciting events, lectures and conferences. Our students also run study groups, historical dramas and seminars, where they can discuss work in a relaxed and friendly environment.

Partnerships

Our partnerships with other universities and heritage organisations foster ambitious collaborative research and create unique opportunities for our students.

York Medieval Press

York Medieval Press is a premier imprint of Boydell and Brewer, dedicated to championing innovative scholarship. We publish monographs, editions, and essay collections spanning all fields of medieval studies.

Heslington Hall

We're based in Heslington Hall, a spectacular grade II listed building on Campus West. The space is a hub for teaching, research and events in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.