Amelia Gardner-Thorpe

My research interests are in Kyivan Rus’ (9th-13th centuries), the medieval East Slavic lands (c.1240-1500), and Muscovy (pre-1613). My BA and MPhil theses have centred northwest Rus’ (specifically the Novgorodian lands) in the period c.1100-1300 with a particular focus on birchbark letters which witness ‘everyday’, vernacular communication in Rus’. My MPhil thesis examined social capital and social networks in the birchbark letters of a boyar (aristocrat) in Veliky Novgorod in the 12th century and highlighted that social hierarchy in Novgorodian Rus’ was less rigid than previous scholarship claims.

I enjoy taking an interdisciplinary approach to history and my previous work has made use of social network analysis and visualisation, linguistics (including orthography), and archaeological materials.

My PhD supervisor is Dr. Olenka Pevny. My research is jointly funded by the AHRC and Newnham College, University of Cambridge.

In 2022, I completed an MPhil in Medieval History at Clare Hall, University of Cambridge. In 2021, I graduated with a BA (Hons) in History from the University of Exeter.