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7-10 July 2014The IMC seeks to provide an interdisciplinary forum for the discussion ofall aspects of medieval studies. Papers and sessions on any topic or themein the Middle Ages are welcome. Each Congress has one particular specialthematic strand on an area of interdisciplinary study in a wider context.However, this strand is not intended to be exclusive and submissions fromall spheres of medieval research, in any major European language, arewelcome.The IMC seeks to provide an interdisciplinary forum for the discussion ofall aspects of Medieval Studies. Paper and session proposals on any topicrelated to the Middle Ages are welcome. However, every year, the IMC choosesa specific special thematic strand which - for 2014 - is 'Empire'.Although the last western Roman emperor was deposed in 476, the Roman Empirecontinued to shape imagination even when it had ceased to play a majorpolitical role. Throughout the Middle Ages, 'Empire' suggested a claim touniversal lordship. The concept of imperium implied not only the ability andpower to exercise authority over others, but could also be used todistinguish spiritual from secular spheres of power. There was also theconcept of 'informal empire', a term often employed by modern historians todescribe a group of distinct territories held together by ties of commerce,ideology, dynastic traditions, or conquest.'Informal empires' were forged by King Cnut in the 11th century and by therulers of Aragon in the 14th. The papacy, the western Empire, and Byzantiumall claimed to inherit the mantle of Rome, while the Caliphates expressed asimilar claim to universal leadership. The meaning of imperium, in turn,became a central issue in medieval scholarship, whether in scholastictheology, medieval philosophy, canon law, or the writing of history andliterature. No type of empire was unable to avoid challenges (andchallengers). Each type exercised a profound influence not only on politics,but on every aspect of daily life: on commerce and trade as well as theenvironment, cultural practice, social structures and organisation, themovement of ideas and people. Empires and their rulers could also beproducts of political and cultural memory and myth-making, with Charlemagne,Arthur, and Troy perhaps among the more famous examples.'Empire' was not limited to the regions surrounding the medievalMediterranean. Universal monarchy was central to the self-representation ofimperial China, while informal empires rose and fell in Africa as well as inAsia and pre-Columbian America. Christian, Confucian, Buddhist, and Islamicscholars discussed 'Empire' in all its varieties and forms.Empire was a universal phenomenon, and thus calls for sustained explorationacross a wide range of disciplines, and geographical and chronological areasof expertise.Points of discussion could include:• The role of settlers, merchants, rulers, and others in creating andfashioning empire • The decline and fall of empires • The typology of empire• The governance and organisation of empires • The experience of empire byindividuals and communities • The representation of Empire in music, art,literature, and material culture • Traditions of empire, their use anddevelopment • Theoretical models of Empire: Medieval and modern • Conceptsand practices of empire in the Islamic world, Africa, America, and Asia •The role of imperium in medieval philosophy, theology, and literature • Therole of universal authority in medieval thought and practice • The influenceof medieval concepts and practices of empire on their post-medievalsuccessors We prefer proposals to be completed online - a quick, easy, and securemethod.Paper proposals must be submitted by 31 August 2013; Sessions proposals mustbe submitted by 30 September 2013.The IMC welcomes session and paper proposals submitted in all major Europeanlanguages. For further details please contact:Axel E. W. MüllerInternational Medieval CongressInstitute for Medieval Studies, University of Leeds Parkinson Building 1.03,LEEDS  LS2 9JT  U.K.Tel.: +44 (113) 343-3614  Fax: +44 (113) 343-3616email: imc@leeds.ac.ukhttp://www.leeds.ac.uk/imc