Dr Axel E. W. Müller
- Position: Director, International Medieval Congress
- Areas of expertise: Origins of firepower; Late medieval fields of conflict, the reception of the Middle Ages from the 18th century to the present day (in heritage industries, film, TV, fiction and everyday life).
- Email: A.Muller@leeds.ac.uk
- Phone: +44(0)113 343 3614
- Location: 1.03 Parkinson Building
Profile
Research Interests:
The reception of the Middle Ages in the 18th and 19th Century; modern approaches to the Middle Ages, Heritage and Public History; study of the past by non-university experts (in the heritage industries, civic trusts, museums, libraries, archives); presentation of the past to different audiences (museum, film, television, historical fiction, everyday life), origins of firepower in Western Europe; late medieval fields of conflict.
Current Projects:
A project on origins of firepower, looking at the later medieval development of artillery and explosives, its uses and contributions to changes in society in the 15th century, a reconstruction project on early gunpowder artillery, and a study on the public perception of the medieval period and the motivating factors which encourage individuals to pursue further study in the fields of Medieval Studies.
Recent Publications:
Müller, Axel, Gunpowder Technology in the Fifteenth Century: A Study, Edition and Translation of the Firework Book - Royal Armouries Research Series (Boydell & Brewer: Woodbridge, 2024)
Müller, Axel, ‘„Die Kunst hat funden …“ Wie neu waren militärtechnische Entwicklungen im Spätmittelalter’, in Imitationen: Systematische Zugänge zu einem kulturellen Prinzip des Mittelalters, ed. by Michael Grünbart, Gerald Schwedler, Jörg Sonntag (Wilhelm Fink Verlag: Paderborn, 2021), 299-327.
Postgraduate Supervision:
I would particularly welcome applications from students interested in working on the following themes:
- The history of technology (especially gunpowder artillery, its practioners, and its impact and consequences to society)
- The history of warfare and conflict
- The history of knowledge exchange and transfer in the later Middle Ages
- The post-medieval reception of the Middle Ages, commonly called Medievalism, from the 18th century to the present day (in heritage industries, film, TV, fiction and everyday life).
I would also be interested in applications that address other aspects of late medieval culture and society: e.g, daily life, gender and family, saints' cults, travel, queenship, religious beliefs. Note that co-supervision of medieval PhDs is normal at the University of Leeds. If you would like to study with me please send me a full CV and research proposal.
Current PhD researchers:
Luka Šiptar (2020-) The Portrayal and Accuracy of Infantry Combat in Medieval and Neo-Medieval Settings in Games, Movies and TV (part-time, co-supervised with Alaric Hall, Institute for Medieval Studies/School of English).
Completed PhDs:
Audrey Thorstad (2017) Living in an Early Tudor Castle: Households, Display, and Space, 1485-1547 (co-supervised with Emilia Jamroziak, Institute for Medieval Studies/School of History).
Other activities and memberships:
- Fellow, Royal Historical Society
- Fellow, Society of Antiquaries of London
- General Editor, International Medieval Research Series
- Editorial Board Member, Medieval Battlefield Series
- Editorial Board Member, TRANSPIOSITIONES. Zeitschrift für transdisziplinäre und intermediale Kulturforschung/Journal for Transdisciplinary and Intermedial Culture Studies
- External Expert Advisory Board Member, CENDARI - Collaborative European Digital Archive Infrastructure
- Advisory Board Member, Forschungstelle für Vergleichende Ordensgeschichte, Katholische Universität Eichstätt (FOVOG)
- Advisory Board Member, International Medieval Meeting Lleida (IMMLleida), Consolidated Medieval Studies Research Group, Universitat de Lleida
- Member of Co-operative for the Advancement of Research through a Medieval European Network (CARMEN)
- Member of the Yorkshire Archaeological & Historical Society (currently chair of Medieval Section and member of Management Board/Trustee)
- Member of Battlefield Trust
- Member of the Leeds Philosophical & Literary Society
- Member of the International Arthurian Society
- Member of the Historical Association
Research groups and institutes
- Empires and Aftermath
- Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums
- War Studies