Work on the ten interconnected research subjects or building blocks for the new history of the European court residence started in the early months of 2020. At the same time, the ten early stage researchers enrolled in the doctoral schools of the universities in the consortium, three of them even going for a dual doctorate. To that end, each defined a doctoral thesis within the research area allotted to them.
Regular presentations to the team followed at six to eight months’ intervals up to the end of 2022, leading to a more precise focus of each research theme and establishing scope, choice of case-studies, approaches and methods; developing conclusions, and contextualizing the research results. When an opportunity presented itself, provisional results were presented at (online) study days, seminars or symposia. Together with the PALAMUSTO website blog, this has increased interest in the network throughout the multidisciplinary academic community engaged with court studies and/or with the digital humanities. The fellows' first (academic) secondment, completed at the end of 2021, broadened their research experience and supported their individual research in court studies and/or in heritage studies. The fellows’ second (professional) secondment, accomplished in the Spring of 2022, brought them into contact with another sector, thus strengthening their work experience and chances of employment.
The COMMON DIGITAL PLATFORM is based on GIS (Geographical Information System). Throughout, the fellows have explored new ways of using this geospatial mapping tool, together with other useful digital methods (network analysis, digital modelling). Multiple new connections have thus been showing up in their trials, opening up the world of courts even further, with great potential for future research. By the beginning of 2022, the first, complete integration of all ten subjects into a multi-layered representation of courtly Europe 1400-1750 had been attempted. This platform can accommodate other research on the courtly residence in Europe and beyond, such as that on landscape.
The COVID-19 related pandemic forced the consortium to change the format of the network-wide training. Each module had been originally been conceived as a “Week” spent in a particular country, organized by that country’s members in the consortium. These were split into two parts, online and on-site. Part I comprised a series of pre-recorded lectures, live seminars with discussions and presentations by the researchers, and round tables with professionals, which were organized online. Part I was scheduled as planned in the original schedule for all Weeks. Part II comprised the actual site visits, some of which had to be delayed; by the end of 2022, however, all had been caught up with. The pre-recorded lectures could count on the interest from a growing community of associated researchers, with whom material was shared. Hopefully, this will eventually lead to a MOOC for a broader audience, if some issues can be resolved.
