Roger Louis Martinez

Historian of medieval and early modern Spain

During fall 2008 - spring 2010, I am serving as the Burton Postdoctoral Fellow at St. Joseph's University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.) I earned my Ph.D. in May 2008 from the Department of History at the University of Texas at Austin where I specialized in the study of medieval and early modern Spain, transatlantic migration, and religious minorities under Islamic and Catholic rule (in particular, conversos and Jews.)

Relying on my specialized training in Spanish paleography and Spanish and Portuguese language expertise, I conducted research in over 25 local, ecclesiastical, provincial, and national archives in Spain, Mexico, and the United States for this dissertation. I am the fortunate recipient of several research fellowships and awards, including ones provided by the Mellon Foundation, Council for European Studies, Spanish Ministry of Culture, UT-Austin College of Liberal Arts, UT-Austin Department of History, and UT-Austin Medieval Studies Program.

For a more comprehensive overview of my career, please see my personal website: http://www.rogerlouismartinez.com

Pages (11)

Updated 09/03/09

Article: "Jews, Catholics, and Converts..."

“Jews, Catholics, and Converts: Reassessing the Resilience of Convivencia in Fifteenth Century Plasencia, Spain.” Journal of Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian Crypto-Jews, Volume 1, Spring 2009: 95-119. Full Page

Updated 09/16/09

Blood, Faith, and Fate (Current Book Project)

Blood, Faith, and Fate: Jews, Conversos, and Old Christians in Early Modern Spain and Colonial Spanish America. Full Page

Updated 09/16/09

Dissertation Abstract

From Sword to Seal: The Ascent of the Carvajal Family in Spain (1391-1516). University of Texas at Austin. May 2008. Full Page

Updated 10/03/09

From Baghdad to Burgos: Christians, Muslims, & Jews in the...Mediterranean - Syllabus

In this advanced, upper-division course on medieval intercultural relations, students explore and discuss the intensive interaction of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic communities in Europe, North Africa, and the Holy Land. The course evaluates religious and cultural beliefs, economics and trade, political events and warfare, language and the arts, and intellectual and scientific issues. Students witness an Islamic caliph’s gift of an elephant to a Christian king, follow the flow of silk and sugar across the Mediterranean Sea, and watch a Jewish general lead an Islamic army into battle. Course participants also observe the tragic outcome of the “curious” medicine of the Franks, experience the three faiths’ rediscovery of Greek philosophy and science, and bear witness to the tragedies of religious intolerance. In sum, the course highlights the numerous interconnectivities of the medieval/early modern Mediterranean world. Full Page

Updated 10/03/09

Beyond the Pillars of Hercules: The Trans-Atlantic Empires of Spain and Portugal - Syllabus

In 1516, Spanish Emperor Charles V proudly proclaimed the motto, “Plus Ultra”, to signal to the world that Spain intended to surpass the Roman Empire by going beyond the Pillars of Hercules (the Strait of Gibraltar). Unlike the Romans, who considered the strait to be the extent of the known world, Spain ventured across the Atlantic Ocean. In the process, they encountered the Americas and established a global empire. This upper division course investigates the Spanish and Portuguese kingdoms’ earliest encounters with the New World, the formation of colonial settlements and governments, and the bi-directional flow of people and goods. Additionally, the class focuses on the cultural and religious challenges that resulted from the secret migration of Jews to the Americas, as well as the intermixing of European and Native American populations. Full Page

Updated 10/04/09

Transformations in Early Modern Europe - Syllabus

Over the course of five centuries, Europe experienced massive cultural, economic, intellectual, and scientific transformations. Alongside the birth of the Renaissance, religious and political wars raged across the continent and in people’s hearts. European dynastic empires stretched across the globe, thereby bringing Europeans into intensive engagement with other cultures. Within this cauldron of connectivity, economic activity and trade flourished, political values diversified, and art explored new forms. In this course, students explore the social and economic transformations generated from new manners of accumulating wealth and status. Likewise, the course participants study the revolution of personal identity and Europeans’ formulation of a vision of themselves as “individuals”. Students re-enact, using the Reacting to the Past pedagogy, crucial scientific and theological events such as the 17th century papal trial of Galileo Galilee that pitted new cosmologies against religious dogmatism. Lastly, course participants consider how Europeans and “others” perceived and interacted with one another. Full Page

Updated 08/17/09

Spring 2009 Burton Postdoctoral Lecture

Video from:

“Abraham’s Cathedral: Jewish, Muslim, and Catholic Co-existence in Late Medieval Spain.”
David H. Burton Postdoctoral Fellowship Lecture, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 16, 2009. Full Page

Updated 08/17/09

Book Review: "A Memorandum..."

Book Review of Vincent Barletta’s A Memorandum for the President of the Royal Audiencia and Chancery Court of the City and Kingdom of Granada (2007), The Sixteenth Century Journal, Volume XL, No. 2, Summer 2009: 615. Full Page

Updated 08/17/09

Book Review: "Myths..."

Book Review of John Martin’s Myths of Renaissance Individuality (2004), The Sixteenth
Century Journal, Volume XXXVII, No. 1, Spring 2006: 1173-1174.

"With this thoughtful and utilitarian work, John J. Martin succeeds in enhancing our understanding of the multi-modal nature of early modern identities. He argues that the Renaissance “self” was not a “thing,” but a collection of relations between the internal and external experiences of the individual. Early modern men and women viewed their identities as an array of “possible permutations”—in essence, the self served as a flexible intermediary between an individual’s interior and the social networks surrounding them..." Full Page

Updated 08/17/09