Dr Robert Houghton

Senior Lecturer

Department of History

Robert.Houghton@winchester.ac.uk

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Biography

I joined the University of Winchester in 2015 as Lecturer in Early Medieval European History, having taught previously at the University of St Andrews and University of Edinburgh. I completed an MA, MLitt and a PhD on representations of collective action in the Italian proto-communes at the University of St Andrews (graduated 2013). In 2018 I was promoted to Senior Lecturer. Outside the University I work as a researcher for Mouseion Ltd and with Paradox Interactive and as an editor for The Public Medievalist.

My teaching interests include the Italian city communes and proto-communes, Church and Empire during the Investiture Contest, and representations of the Middle Ages in modern games.

Areas of expertise

Medieval Italian cities and bishops
The Investiture Contest
The Middle Ages in modern media

Publications

Forthcoming/In prep.

‘Crusader Kings Too? (Mis)Representations of the Crusades in Grand Strategy Games’, in V. Cooper and R. Houghton, eds., Playing The Crusades (Routledge, In Preparation).
‘The rebellion of Mantua against Matilda of Canossa (1091 - 1114)’ (In Preparation).

‘Scholarly History through Digital Games: Pedagogical Practice as Research Method’, The Interactive Pasts, 2 (Under Review).
‘Hugh, Lothar and Berengar: The Balance of Power in Italy 945-950’, Journal of Medieval History (In Press).
‘If you’re going to be the king, you’d better damn well act like the king: Setting objectives to encourage realistic play in Grand Strategy Computer Games’, in K. Alvestad and R. Houghton, eds., The Middle Ages in Modern Culture: History and Authenticity in Contemporary Medievalism (IBTauris, Forthcoming).
‘I predict a riot’: What were the Parmese rebelling against in 1037?’, in C. Heath and R. Houghton, eds., Conflict and Violence in Medieval Italy 568-1154 (AUP, Forthcoming).

Articles and chapters

‘World, Rules and Play: Digital Games as Historical Research Tools’, Práticas da História, 7 (2018) pp. 11-43.

‘Reconsidering Donizone’s Vita Mathildis (again): Boniface of Canossa and Emperor Conrad II’, Storicamente, 13 (2017) Art. 15 pp. 1-24.

‘Militant Italian bishops during the Investiture Contest’, in R. Kotecki, J. Maciejewski and J. S. Ott, eds., Between Sword and Prayer: Warfare and Medieval Clergy in Cultural Perspective (Brill, 2017) pp. 274-302.

‘When the bishop’s away... : Absentee bishops of Parma during the Investiture Conflict’, in M. Penman, F. Lachaud and M. Brown, eds., Absentee Authority across Medieval Europe (Boydell and Brewer, 2017) pp. 56-77.

‘Where did you learn that? The self-perceived educational impact of historical computer games on undergraduates’, Gamevironments 5 (2016) pp. 8-45.

‘The vocabulary of groups in eleventh century Mantua’, Early Medieval Europe, 24;4 (2016) pp. 448-477.

‘Reconsidering Donizone’s Vita Mathildis: Boniface of Canossa and Emperor Henry II’, Journal of Medieval History, 31;4 (2015) pp. 388-408.

Multimedia credits

The Public Medievalist (2014-Present).
Crusader Kings II (Paradox Interactive, 2012-Present).
Analysis of Carole Hillenbrand’s The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives (Macat International, 2017).

Staff Directory

Research interests

The main thrust of my research concerns relationship networks and socio-political structures in Northern Italy during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. In particular, I am currently working on a project to map and investigate the political connections of the imperial papal candidates of the late eleventh century (Cadalus of Parma and Guibert of Ravenna). I am interested in how these figures were able to establish and maintain their positions in a complex and changing environment.

I am also interested in the ways in which modern games can be used to represent the Middle Ages. I am leading a research project titled Playing the Past: Making Better History Games for Learning and Research to develop stronger teaching techniques through games and to demonstrate their potential as outputs and tools for the study of history.

Supervision of research students

I welcome proposals for postgraduate research. My areas of supervision are: Italian cities and bishops: Investiture Contest; Middle Ages in modern media.