Nancy Lyman Roelker Prize

Posted on 13 November 2020

Professor Stuart Carroll is the recipient of the 2020 Nancy Lyman Roelker Prize by the Sixteenth Century Society & Conference for his article 'Political Justice and the Outbreak of the Wars of Religion’.

The Nancy Lyman Roelker Prize, named for Professor Roelker of Boston University, author and translator of many works of excellent scholarship, doctoral advisor and friend to many scholars in early modern studies. It is awarded annually by the Sixteenth Century Society and Conference for the best article published in English on sixteenth-century French history during the preceding calendar year. The criteria for selection include: (1) quality and originality of research; (2) methodological skill and/or innovation; (3) development of fresh and stimulating interpretations or insights; (4) literary quality.

The prize committee commented on Stuart's article as follows:

Stuart Carroll's article “Political Justice and the Outbreak of the Wars of Religion” provides a thorough analysis of how both sides in the French civil wars used arguments of “political justice” to justify violence against the other side. By analyzing new archival evidence to illuminate the dynamic of violence in the Agenais region, Carroll shows that the Protestants were hardly just the victims of violence perpetrated by the Catholic majority, rather, they were also perpetrators of it. The Committee found this piece very well researched and compelling as it combines new material with a rigorous investigation, as well as historical and literary analysis, thus advancing the reader's understanding of the French Wars of Religion.

Stuart's article can be viewed on the Oxford University Press website.