Teaching Experience

Posts
• Professor, Longwood University, Farmville, VA, Fall 2004-present
• Assistant Professor, Northwestern College, Fall 1999-Summer 2004
• Instructor, LSU Honors College, Fall 1998
• Instructor, LSU College of Arts and Sciences, Fall 1998
• Instructor, LSU Evening School, Summer 1996-1999

Courses Taught
• Medieval Europe
• Ancient Greece and Rome
• History of Islamic Civilizations
• Conflict in the Modern Middle East
• Philosophy of History and Historiography
• War and Society before Gunpowder
• Study Abroad in France; Greece; Morocco; Niger
• Western Civilization (from pre-history to contemporary); now Historical Inquiry
• Renaissance and Reformation Europe
• Seminars (Feudalism, Mythology, Crusades; Medieval Women & War)

Education

• Louisiana State University, Ph.D., December 1998
• Louisiana State University, M.A., December 1993
• Hardin-Simmons University, B.A., May 1989

Publications

Books

Down Upon the Fold: Mercenaries in the Long Twelfth Century (monograph provisionally accepted by scholarly press)

Military Cultures and Martial Enterprises in the Middle Ages: Essays in Honour of Richard P. Abels. Edited by John Hosler and Steven Isaac. Woodbridge: Boydell, 2020.

Articles/Chapters

“Enough Facts to Forge a Memory: the Charters of Matilda III.” In Gender, Memory, and Documentary Culture. Edited by Laura Gathagan and Charles Insley. Woodbridge: Boydell, 2024.

“Strategy in the High Middle Ages." In Routledge Handbook of Medieval Military Strategy. Edited by John Hosler and Daniel Franke. New York: Routledge, 2024.

“Women in Command: the Matildine War of 1141,” in War & Society 41 (October 2022): 247–63.

“All Citizens High and Low: Louis VII and the Towns.”In The World of Louis VII. Edited by Michael Bardot & Lawrence Marvin. Leiden: Brill, 2018.

“The Sieges of Bruges,” in Medieval Warfare (Nov/Dec 2017)

“The Battle of Sandwich,” in Medieval Warfare (Aug/Sept 2017)

“Le Loup et le mercenaire: une métaphore d’exclusion au xiie siècle,” in Cahiers de Civilisation Médiévale 60 (July 2016): 143–58.

“Terrorism in the Middle Ages: the Seeds of Later Developments,” in The Routledge History of Terrorism, edited by Randall Law. New York: Routledge, 2015.

“The Role of Towns in the Battle of Bouvines (1214),” in The Journal of Military History 79:2 (April 2015): 317-344.

“Game of Thrones and Medieval Judicial Duels,” a 2014 essay used by numerous media outlets, incl. The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic (online), The Daily Beast, io9, Yahoo UK, and others. The original is available on academia.edu.

Two chapters (Ancient Greece, Medieval Europe) in De Laforcade, Ford, Isaac, and Mbajekwe, The How and Why of World History. Dubuque: Kendall-Hunt, 2011.

“‘Guilty in Defense’: the Experience of Urban Siege in Galbert of Bruges,” in Jeff Rider and Alan Murray, eds., Galbert of Bruges and the Historiography of Medieval Flanders. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2009.

“Cowardice and Fear Management: The 1173–74 Conflict as a Case Study,” in Journal of Medieval Military History IV (2006).

“Fortifications, 500-1500: a Global Survey” in Ways of War: Weapons and Strategies (Pasadena: Salem Press, May 2001).

“Ways of War and the Roman Legacy: Armies of Christendom and the Age of Chivalry (c. 918-1500)” in Ways of War: Weapons and Strategies (Pasadena: Salem Press, May 2001).

“The Problem with Mercenaries: Stipendiaries in the Reign of Stephen,” in Circle of War, edited by Don Kagay and Andrew Villalon (Woodbridge: Boydell and Brewer, 1999).

“Historical Introduction” for New Orleans Musica da Camera’s compact disc Cross of Red: Music from the Time of the Crusades (Centaur Records: 1998).

“Defeat from the Jaws of Victory: Stephen’s Policies in 1135-1139,” in On the Origins of Medieval Institutions: Essays in Honor of Joseph O'Callaghan (Leiden: E.J. Brill, August 1998).

Conferences: Presenter, Commentator, Presider

“Le Bon, la Brute, et le Truand: Construire l’Image du Combattant après la Première Croisade,” at the 27th International Colloquy of Romanesque Art, Issoire, France, October 2017.

“Townsmen at War: Girding Up the Spirit,” at the 2017 Lisbon Medieval War and Culture Conference, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal, June 2017

“William Marshal and Usama ibn Munqidh: Cross-Cultural Markers of the Elite,” at the 52nd International Medieval Congress of Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, May 2017.

Roundtable on Historical Approaches to Terrorism, American Historical Association Annual Meeting, January 2016, Atlanta, GA. (Recorded for C-SPAN)

“The Role of the Communes at Battle of Bouvines,” at the Saint Louis Medieval and Renaissance Symposium, Saint Louis University, June 2014.

“Siege Economies: Moral, Monetary, and More,” at the 31st International Haskins Society Conference, Boston College, November 2012.

“Être Médiéviste aux États-Unis,” for a JANUA panel during La Semaine d’Études Médiévales of the Centre d’Études Supérieures de la Civilisation Médiévale, Université de Poitiers. June 2012.

“Robin des Bois: Légende Médiévale / Icône Américaine,” at the Centre Culturel, Pontoise, France, October 2011.

“The Ancient and Medieval Roots of Modern Mercenaries,” and “What to Do when You Lose Your King: The Anarchy in 1141,” Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, June 2011.

“The Mercenary Phenomenon: Wolves, Whores, Heroes,” The Faculty Colloquium of Longwood University, Farmville, VA, April 2011.

“The Role of Urban Forces in Plantagenet Warfare, 1140—1216,” at the 2010 North American Conference on British Studies, Baltimore, MD, November 2010.

Chair of Panel, “The Normans Abroad,” at the Battle Conference for Anglo-Norman Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, July 2010.

“Mercenaires, Milices Urbaines, et Fantassins au xiie Siècle,” Centre d’Études Supérieures de la Civilisation Médiévale, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France, April 2010.

Chair and Commentator: “Culture, Military History, and Global Historiography,” panel at the Annual Meeting of the American Historical Association, New York, January 2009.

“Facts and Fictions: Townsfolk Under Siege,” at the 42nd International Medieval Congress of Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, May 2007.

Chair and Commentator at Presidential Panel of the Society for Military History Conference (April 2007): “The Elephant in the Room: How Warfare Between 500 and 1600 Continues to be Misunderstood.”

“Coming to Terms: the Problem of Vocabulary,” at the Conference on Mercenaries and Paid Men, Swansea University, Swansea, Wales, UK, July 2005.

“Cowardice: Differing Perspectives from 1173-74,” at the 22nd Annual Haskins Conference, Cornell University, November 2003.

“Regina Anglie: Mathilda of Boulogne and the Anarchy,” at the 37th International Congress of Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 2002.

“Jihad: Holy War or Holy Surrender?” A paper given at Dordt College, Sioux Center, IA, as part of a public lecture series on Islamic politics. November 2001.

“‘Guilty in Defense’: the Experience of Urban Siege in Galbert of Bruges, Geoffroi de Vigeois, and Gislebert of Mons,” at the International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds, UK, July 2001.

“Murder Most Feudal,” at the 36th International Congress of Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 2001.

“The Lupine Image,” at a Faculty Development Seminar, Northwestern College, February 2000.

“Troubadour Lords: Propaganda and Disinformation,” at the 34th International Congress of Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 1999.

“Monks, Metaphors, and Mercenaries,” at the 16th Annual Haskins Conference, Houston, Texas, November 1997.

“A Legacy of Misdefinitions: Twelfth-Century Answers for Twentieth-Century Questions,” at the annual meeting of the Texas Medieval Association, Arlington, Texas, September 1997.

“Mercenaries and Canon Law” at the 30th International Congress of Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 1995.

“Defeat from the Jaws of Victory: Stephen’s Policies in 1135-1139” at the annual meeting of the Texas Medieval Association, San Antonio, Texas, September 1994.

“The Problem with Mercenaries” at the annual meeting of the Texas Medieval Association, San Antonio, Texas, September 1993.

Reviews

“Late Medieval and Early Modern Fight Books,” in Speculum (2018)

“Welsh Soldiers in the Later Middle Ages, by Adam Chapman,” in Journal of British Studies (2016)

“The Medieval March of Wales: The Creation and Perception of a Frontier, 1066-1283, by Max Liebermann” and “Lords of the Central Marches: English Aristocracy and Frontier Society, 1087-1265, by Brock Holden,” Cahiers de la Civilisation Médiévale (2012).

“Jerusalem: City of Longing, by Simon Goldhill,” in The Historian 72:2 (Summer 2010).

“A Most Holy War: The Albigensian Crusade and the Battle for Christendom, by Mark Gregory Pegg,” for Medieval Encounters (Summer 2008).

“L’Empire des Plantagenêt by Martin Aurell,” for The Medieval Review, an on-line publication of The Medieval Institute at Western Michigan University.

“The Battle of the Golden Spurs by J.F. Verbruggen,” for The Medieval Review.

“Chivalry and Violence in Medieval Europe by Richard Kaeuper” for The Medieval Review

“The Knights Templar in Britain by Evelyn Lord,” for De Re Militari, the Society for Classical and Medieval Military History

For the library journal Choice:

• “Muhammad: Islam's First Great General, by Richard Gabriel”
• “Journeys to the other shore: Muslim and Western travelers in search of knowledge, by Roxanne Euben”
• “Italy and its Invaders, by Girolamo Arnaldi”
• “The Devil’s Broker: Seeking Gold, God, and Glory in Fourteenth-Century Italy, by Frances Saunders”
• “Purity Lost, by Steven Epstein”
• “Islam at War, by George Nafziger and Mark Walton”
• “Theory and Practice of Revolt in Medieval England, by Claire Valente”
• “The Assassins, by W.B. Bartlett”
• “An Historical Atlas of Islam, by Hugh Kennedy”
• “Europe and Islam, by Franco Cardini”
• “Understanding the Middle Ages, by Harald Kleinschmidt”
• “Islamic Perceptions of the Crusades, by Carole Hillenbrand”
• “The Order of the Garter, 1348-1461, by Hugh Collins”

Other Scholarly Activities

Editor, The Anglo-Norman Anonymous (thrice-yearly bulletin of the Haskins Society, 1999-2010) and Website Manager of the Haskins Society (1999-present) (www.haskinssociety.org).

Faculty Reader, European History Advanced Placement Exam, Lincoln, NE, 2001-04.

Judge, regional presentations of National History Day, 2000-04.

Organizer, De Re Militari panel “Warfare in the High Middle Ages” at 31st International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 1996.

Guest Lecturer, Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas: March 1994.

Professional Memberships

The Haskins Society

De Re Militari: Society for the Study of Classical and Medieval Military History

Texas Medieval Association

Fellowships and Grants

Study Abroad Preparatory Grant, Northwestern College, May 2003

Summer Research Grant, Northwestern College, July 2001.

T. Harry Williams Dissertation Fellowship, Louisiana State University, Fall 1997-Summer 1998.

Heckman Grant for Studies at Hill Monastic Manuscript Library, St. John’s Abbey, Minnesota: Summer 1996

Areas of Specialization and Research

Medieval History (social/cultural)

Military History, with an emphasis on anthropological and sociological approaches

Islamic Studies (medieval and contemporary)

Ancient Greece

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