Brian A. Pavlac is a Professor Emeritus of History. He served as the Chair of the History Department for over ten years and was a Herve A. LeBlanc Distinguished Service Professor in honor of his work for academia, the college, and the community at King's College, Wilkes-Barre PA.
His special research interests are Medieval Germany, prince-bishops of the Holy Roman Empire (including Nicholas of Cusa), and the Witch Hunts. On these subjects he has authored several academic books and a number of articles, book chapters, book reviews, and encylcopedia entries.
He has lived and studied abroad as a student with his alma mater Bowling Green State University in Salzburg, on a Fulbright Grant in Bonn, and as a director with his alma mater Notre Dame in Innsbruck. The Rev. Brian Pavlac also serves the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and now the Diocese of Ohio at St. Patrick Episcopal Church, Brunswick. He also curently teaches for the Institute of Learning in Retirement at Baldwin Wallace University.
Scholarship Curriculum Vitæ
Education
- University of Notre Dame du Lac, South Bend, Indiana: M.A. in History; Ph.D. in History
- Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio: B.A. in History & German; M.A. in History
Academic Experience Abroad:
- John Cabot University, Rome: visiting faculty 2013
- Webster University, Vienna, Austria campus: visiting faculty, 2004
- Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck, Republic
of Austria:
Asst. Professor for the University of New Orleans International Summer School, 1992, 1993, 1997;
Director of the University of Notre Dame Study Abroad Program, 1988-1992;
Lecturer in the Abteilung für Geschichte, 1989-1992 - Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn,
Federal Republic of Germany:
doctoral research on Fulbright Grant, 1982-1983 - Paris-Lodron-Universität Salzburg, Republic
of Austria:
undergraduate student and graduate assistant for BGSU A-Y-A Program, 1976-1977, 1978-1979 - King's College History Society, tour escort for trips to Rome, Paris, Prague & Vienna, Madrid, Florence, Munich, Paris, Sorrento/Naples, London, Berlin and Luther sites: 1997-2017
Teaching Experience
Links to Online Course Materials
- Western Civilization / Ancient & Medieval History / History of Christianity
- Global History since 1914
- Asian Civilizations
- Women's History in Europe to 1914
- Empires of Greece & Rome 500 B.C.-A.D. 500
- Medieval History Survey 500-1500; with Literature; Knights & Castles; Medieval Church & State; The Times of Bernard of Clairvaux 1105-1155; Prince-Bishops
- Medieval British Isles; Murder & Monarchy: Shakespeare's British History
- Renaissance & Reformation; Early Modern Europe 1500-1815; Tudor-Stuart Britain
- The Witch Hunts 1400-1800
- Habsburg Empire 1250-1918; German & Austrian History 1815-1945 (in Vienna); Nazi Germany
- History & Historical Fiction (Henry II, Joan of Arc, Richard III)
- Humanities Seminar (humans and nature; people and society); Passion and Pain: Themes in Western Art; Classic Themes in Western Art
- Research & Methods; History Senior Seminar: Salem Witch Hunt
- Independent Studies: Sex and Gender in the Middle Ages; Polish History; hist488Teaching Western Civilization; Jesus Blood: Myth and Reality
Research Interests
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Publications
Books:
-
A Concise Survey of Western Civilization: Supremacies and Diversities throughout History, 4th Edition. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2023. Website:<ConciseWesternCiv.com>
with Elizabeth S. Lott,The Holy Roman Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia, 2 vols. Westport, CT: ABC-Clio, 2019.
-
Editor, Game of Thrones versus History: Written in Blood. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2017.
- Witch Hunts in the Western World: Persecution and Punishment from the Inquisition through the Salem Trials. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2009 or Lincoln, NB: Bison Books, 2010.
-
A Warrior Bishop of the 12th Century: The Deeds of Albero of Trier, by Balderich. Translated, with an introduction and notes by Brian A. Pavlac. Medieval Sources in Translation 44. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, 2008.
Articles/Book Chapters:
- "Personality of Prelates between Church and Empire: the Example of Albero of Trier (1131-1152)," in Peter Coss, Chris Dennis, Melissa Julian-Jones and Angelo Silvestri, Episcopal Power and Personality in Medieval Europe, 900-1480. Episcopal Personalities and Episcopal Power, Medieval Church Studies 42, Brepols, 2020.
- "Winter of our Discontent," and "Of Kings, their Battles, and Castles," in Game of Thrones versus History: Written in Blood (Wiley, 2017).
- Chapter 3: Reform, in Introducing Nicholas of Cusa: A Guide to a Renaissance Man, edited by Christopher M. Bellitto, Thomas M. Izbicki, and Gerald Christianson (Paulist Press, 2004).
- "The Curse of Cusanus: Excommunication in Fifteenth Century Germany," in Nicholas of Cusa and His Age: Intellect and Spirituality, edited by Thomas M. Izbicki and Christopher Bellitto (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2002): 199-213; reviewed by Cary Nederman in The Medieval Review, 03.01.11.
- "Emperor Henry VI (1191-97) and the Papacy: Similarities with Innocent III's Temporal Policies," in Pope Innocent III and His World, edited by John C. Moore (Brookfield, Vt.: Ashgate, 1999): 255-269.
- "Die Verhängung des Kirchenbannes über Graf Meinhard II. von Tirol (1259-95)," Veröffentlichungen des Tiroler Landesmuseums Ferdinandeum 75/76 (1995/6): 219-232.
- "Nicolaus Cusanus as Prince-Bishop of Brixen (1450-64): Historians and a Conflict of Church and State," Historical Reflections/Réflexions Historiques 21 (1995): 131-54; annotated in Deutsches Archiv 52 (1996): 734.
- "Excommunication and Territorial Politics in High Medieval Trier," Church History 60 (1991): 20-36; annotated in The American Historical Association's Guide to Historical Literature, 3rd ed. (Oxford University Press, 1995), no. 20.728.
Book Reviews:
- of Andreas Schmidt, "Bischof bist Du und Fürst:" Die Erhebung geistlicher Reichsfürsten im Spätmittelalter: Trier, Bamberg, Augsburg, for Speculum 93/1 (2018: 264-265.
- of James D. Mixson and Bert Roest, eds. A Companion to Observant Reform in the Late Middle Ages and Beyond, for The Medieval Review, forthcoming.
- of Kristen C. Uszkalo, Bewitched and Bedeviled: A Cognitive Approach to Embodiment in Early English Possession, in Journal of British Studies, forthcoming.
- of Benjamin C. Ray, Satan and Salem: The Witch-Hunt Crisis of 1692 in Journal of American History, forthcoming.
- of Josiah Ober, The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece in Canadian Journal of History 51 (2016), 352-353.
- of P. G. Maxwell-Stuart, Witch Beliefs and Witch Trials in the Middle
Ages: Documents and Readings. New York and London: Continuum, 2011 in
Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 9 (2014): 104-107 <http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/magic_ritual_and_witchcraft
/v009/9.1.pavlac.html>. - of Maximilian I. (1459-1519): Wahrnehmung-Übersetzungen-Gender, Heinz Noflatscher, Michael A. Chisholm, and Bertrand Schnerb, eds. in Sixteenth Century Journal 46 (2014): 253-255.
- of Erich Meuthen, Nicholas of Cusa: A Sketch for a Biography, trans. David Crowner and Gerald Christianson in Speculum 86 (2011): 1099-1100.
- of K. David Goss, The Salem Witch Trials: A Reference Guide in The Sixteenth Century Journal 41 (2010): 241-242.
- of Rainer Decker, Hexenjagd in Deutschland in Francia Recensio,
Francia 2008-4, Frühe Neuzeit Revolution Empire (1500-1815), URL: <http://www.perspectivia.net/content/publikationen/francia/francia-recensio/2008-4/FN/decker_pavlac>
(2009). - of Wilhelm Baum and Raimund Senoner, ed. Nikolaus von Kues: Briefe and Dokumente zum Brixner Streit. Vol. 2: Nikolaus von Kues als Seelsorger. Briefe. Denkschriften (1453-1458) in the American Cusanus Society Newsletter 18, no. 1 (June 2001): 37-38.
- of J. Jeffrey Tyler, Lord of the Sacred City: The Episcopus Exculsus in Late Medieval and Early Modern Germany in Speculum 76 (2001): 807-808.
- of Genevive Bührer-Thierry, Evêques et pouvoir dans le royaume de Germanie: Les églises de Bavière et de Souabe, 876-973 in Speculum 74 (1999):704-706.
- of Benzo von Alba, Sieben Bücher an Kaiser Heinrich IV., ed. and trans. Hans Seyffert (MGH Scriptores Rerum Germanicarum in Usum Scholarum Separatim Editi, 65) in Speculum 74 (1999): 389-390.
- of Paul B. Pixton, The German Episcopacy and the Implementation of the Decrees of the Fourth Lateran Council, 1216-1245: Watchmen on the Tower in Speculum 72 (1997): 209-211.
- of Sabine Weiss, Kurie und Ortskirche: Die Beziehungen zwischen Salzburg und dem päpstlichen Hof unter Martin V. (1417-1431) in Speculum 71 (1996): 772-773.
- of John W. Bernhardt, Itinerant Kingship and Royal Monasteries in Early Medieval Germany, c. 936-1075 in Speculum 70 (1995): 881-883.
- of Walter Mohr, Studien zur Klosterreform des Grafen Arnulf I. von Flandern: Tradition und Wirklichkeit in der Geschichte der Amandus-Klöster in Speculum 69 (1994): 1233.
- of Joseph H. Lynch, The Medieval Church: A Brief History in Speculum 69 (1994): 827-829.
- of Benjamin Arnold, German Knighthood, 1050-1300 in The Historian 49 (1987): 544-545.
Contributions:
- Educator, What's with the Devil?, TED-Ed <https://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-brief-history-of-the-devil-brian-a-pavlac> 2021.
- Educator, "What really happened during the Salem Witch Trials," TED-Ed <https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-really-happened-during-the-salem-witch-trials-brian-a-pavlac> 2020.
- Educator, "Ugly History: Witch Hunts," TED-Ed <https://ed.ted.com/lessons/ugly-history-witch-hunts-brian-a-pavlac> 2019.
- “Letters from the Witch Trial of Rebecca Lemp,” Prof. Pavlac's Witch Hunts Site, Last Revised 2019 <http://www.brianpavlac.org/witchhunts/lempletters.html>.
- General editor, Great Events from History: The Middle Ages, 477-1453 (Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2004), with contribution on "Alice Kyteler Found Guilty of Witchcraft, July 2, 1324."
- "Ten Common Errors and Myths about the Witch Hunts," URL: <http://www.brianpavlac.org/witchhunts/werrors.html> and "Ten General Historical Theories about the Origins and Causes of the Witch Hunts." URL: <http://www.brianpavlac.org/witchhunts/wtheories.html>. Prof. Pavlac's Witch Hunts.
- Contributions on crusading armies and knives, daggers & swords in Weapons and Warfare, edited by John Powell (Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2002).
- Contributions on medieval warfare (general article and German wars such as dynastic conflicts of 1077-1214, 1400-1411, 1314-1325) in Magill's Guide to Military History, edited by John Powell (Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2001).
- Sixteen entries on various political and biographical subjects (e.g. Trier, Bishop Burchard of Worms, the Battle of Sempach, Emperor Lothar III, Emperor Frederick III, the Hexenhammer) in Medieval Germany: an Encyclopedia, edited by John M. Jeep (New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 2001).
- Essay about Archduke Francis Ferdinand for Biographical Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century World Leaders, edited by John Powell (Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Corp., 2000).
- Essay about Holy Roman Emperor/Bohemian King Wenceslaus IV (1361-1419) in Dictionary of World Biography: Volume II, the Middle Ages, edited by Frank N. Magill (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press and Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1998).
- Biographical sketches of 33 medieval and early modern German women (e.g. Hrostwitha of Gandersheim, Hildegard of Bingen, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Empress Maria Theresa) in Chronology of Women Worldwide: People, Places, & Events That Shaped World History, edited by Lynne Brakeman (Detroit: Gale Research, 1996).
- Student assistance to The Encyclopedia of Southern History, edited by David C. Roller and Robert W. Twyman (Louisiana State University Press, 1979).
Abstracts:
- "The Curse of Cusanus: Excommunication and Politics in Fifteenth-Century Germany," in American Cusanus Society Newsletter, vol. 17, no. 1 (June 2000): 45-46.
- "From Theory to Practice: the Failure of Nicholas of Cusa as Bishop of Brixen" in American Cusanus Society Newsletter, vol. 14, no. 1 (June 1997): 36.
- The Development of Temporal Rule by the Archbishops of Trier: 1066-1259, in Doctoral Dissertations in History, vol. 11 (American Historical Association, 1987): 5.
Dissertation:
- The Development of Temporal Rule by the Archbishops of Trier: 1066-1259, directed by John H. Van Engen (Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International, 1986); research partially funded by a Fulbright Grant to Bonn, Germany.
Information to the Popular Press:
- Press on History versus Game of Thrones
- Countdown: History's 12 Most Doting Dads, Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience, 7 September 2011.
- Voodoo Economics: Why has Romania slapped an income tax on witches? The New Republic, 22 January 2011.
Conference Papers
- “‘In my lands I will be pope, archbishop, bishop, archdeacon, and dean’: Secular Princes and Prince-bishops in Pre-Reformation Germany,” EPISCOPUS Session, Secular Clergy and Laity I: Episcopal Roles, 52nd International Congress on Medieval Studies, Medieval Institute, Western Michigan University, May 2017.
- "Personality of Prelates between Church and Empire: the Example of Albero of Trier: "In the Hands of God's Servants": Episcopal Personalities and the Power of the Bishop in Western Europe, 1000-1300, Cardiff University, June 2015.
- The Witches of Innsbruck: Cusanus and the Hammer of the Church, Nicholas of Cusa Session #2, In Honor of Thomas H. Izbicki, 41st International Congress on Medieval Studies, Medieval Institute, Western Michigan University, May 2006.
- "The Curse of Cusanus: Excommunication and Politics in Fifteenth-Century Germany," Nicholas of Cusa Session #1: Canon Law in the Age of Cusanus, 35th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Medieval Institute, Western Michigan University, May 2000.
- "Defenders of the Empire: the Formation of the Bellicose Bishops of Germany," Genus Regale et Sacerdotale: the Image of the Bishop around the Millennium, University of Chicago, Medieval Studies Workshop, October 1999.
- "Conquests, Councils, & Concordance: German Prince-Bishops and imperial reforms in the Fifteenth Century," 33rd International Congress on Medieval Studies, Medieval Institute, Western Michigan University, May 1998.
- "From Theory to Practice: the Failure of Nicholas of Cusa as Bishop of Brixen," Nicholas of Cusa Session #2: The Acta Cusana I, iii: Its Recent Publication and its Significance for Cusanus Research, 32nd International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, May 1997.
- "Emperor Henry VI (1191-97) and the Papacy: Influences on Innocent III's Staufen Policies," Pope Innocent III and His World, Hofstra University, May 1997.
- "Countess Margaret 'Pocketmouth' of Tyrol (1335-63) and the Problem of a Woman's Rule through Men," Society for Medieval Feminist Scholarship's Session #3: Entering the Public Space: Women and Politics in the Middle Ages, 31st International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, May 1996.
- "Machiavelli's Prince and Christine's Princess: Political Theories in the Renaissance," Christine de Pizan: Texts/Intertexts/Contexts, 29th Conference of the Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies, SUNY-Binghamton, October 1995.
- "The Excommunications of Count Meinhard II of Tyrol (1259-95)," 19th International Conference on Patristic, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Villanova University, October 1994.
- "Countess Margaret 'Pocket-Mouth' of Tyrol (1335-63) and the Problems of Rule through Marriage and Inheritance," The Roles of Women in the Middle Ages: A Reassessment, 26th Conference of the Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies, SUNY-Binghamton, October 1992.
- "German Prince-Bishops and Medieval Rule," Majestas Society Session #1: Idea and Reality of Medieval Rulership, 23rd International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, May 1988.
- "Hero for the Libertas cclesiae: The Adventures of Albero von Montreuil, Later Archbishop of Trier (1131-1152)," Medieval Association of the Midwest Conference, U. of Iowa, September 1986.
- "Excommunication and Territorial Politics in High Medieval Trier," 24th Annual Midwest Medieval History Conference, University of Illinois, October 1985.
- "An Archbishop as War-Leader: Albero of Trier (1131-1152)," War in the Middle Ages Session #4: Generalship; 20th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, May 1985.
Professional Affiliations
- The Medieval Academy of America
- The American Cusanus Society
- EPISCOPUS: Society for the Study of Episcopal Power and Culture in the Middle Ages