In 2019, the Christchurch mosque shooter labelled his gun with medieval European names and dates, including that of Charles Martel, who allegedly defeated a Muslim army at Tours in 732. A white supremacist at the 2017 Charlottesville rally was known for making racist statements in medieval history classes at the University of Reno, while other Charlottesville marchers “held symbols of the medieval Holy Roman Empire and of the Knights Templar.” Former white nationalist Derek Black purposefully studied medieval European history in college. In May 2017, a white supremacist attacked train passengers with a knife in Portland, claiming to do so on behalf of Vinland (the 10 th-century Viking name for North America). Follow her on Twitter and learn more about her research at.
Her dissertation, “Portable Altars, Devotion, and Memory in Lower Saxony, 1050-1190 CE,” examines the patronage and use of medieval portable altars in German lands.
Sarah Luginbill is a doctoral candidate in medieval history at the University of Colorado Boulder.
