James Morton Begins Byzantine Series with a Seminar on Byzantine Canon Law in the Latin West

The Medieval Institute enthusiastically welcomed guest speaker James Morton, Ph.D. Candidate in History at the University of California, Berkeley, who inaugurated the new Byzantine series at the University of Notre Dame. On Friday morning, November 11th, Mr. Morton led a seminar entitled “Byzantine Canon Law in the Latin West: The Southern Italian Manuscripts (10th–14th centuries)" to an audience of Notre Dame graduate students, fellows, and faculty. Based on his dissertation work, Morton began with an overview of the Byzantine and South Italian geo-political climate of the central and late Middle Ages. Morton then guided the seminar participants in greater detail through the surviving medieval manuscripts of Byzantine Canon law in the major libraries of southern Italy and provided descriptions of the typical organization and contents of the Nomokanones – Canon law compilations – found there. Morton fielded questions from the lively audience over a catered lunch. We look forward to future seminars in this stimulating series. To follow recent scholarship on the Byzantine Empire at the University of Notre Dame as well as events hosted by Notre Dame Byzantinists, please visit the Byzantine Studies website.