Medieval People builds upon what its precursor, Medieval Prosopography, sought to do: it is dedicated to highlighting the experiences of unknown or obscure individuals or groups, as well as exploring the social networks that gave shape to the lives of all medieval people. The journal has been updated, however, to reflect the new trends in scholarship and the ever-growing number of tools available to scholars, as well as the rich offerings of digital humanities projects that can assist scholars in developing a deeper and more inclusive understanding of the medieval world. Therefore volume 35 of Medieval Prosopography will be the last volume available in print, while volume 36, coming in early 2022, will be the first volume under the title Medieval People and the first online-only volume of the journal (articles can be printed by subscribers).

Taking Eileen Power’s classic book Medieval People as a touchstone, the inaugural volume of the journal will contain articles that correspond directly with the narratives in Power’s volume, such as updating of “The Peasant Bodo.” But the focus of the journal has also been updated and expanded to include articles on medieval people who were not included in the original work, including, for instance, examination of early queens and discussion of the relationship of the sick and destitute with a monastery. These articles align with the journal’s mission to promote the study of overlooked or understudied medieval people and groups.

To highlight how the study of the past has transformed and broadened, consideration of the tools that scholars can now employ to detect relationships not known heretofore, but also to recover the experiences of people whose stories would otherwise remain unretrievable, will also be included. For example, how to use social networking software to trace the relationships between pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem.

Anyone may submit an original article to be considered for publication in Medieval People provided he or she owns the copyright to the work being submitted or is authorized by the copyright owner or owners to submit the article. For more information on submission guidelines, visit the Policies page.