Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger

Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger is a leading historian specializing in Early Modern European history, currently serving as Rektorin of the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin since 2018. Previously, she held the Professur für Geschichte der Frühen Neuzeit at the Historisches Seminar of the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (1997-2018). Her research focuses on symbolic communication, rituals, and the interplay between religion and politics in the Holy Roman Empire.

• Education: Habilitation (1994, University of Cologne); Promotion (1985, University of Cologne).
• Key Research Areas: Early Modern decision-making cultures, confessional ambiguity, political symbolism, and the legacy of the Holy Roman Empire.

Her recent publications analyze rituals of decision-making, religious diversity in Habsburg-Ottoman border regions, and the symbolic language of pre-modern political institutions. She has received numerous awards including the Leibniz-Preis (2005), Sigmund-Freud-Preis (2017), and Bayerischer Maximiliansorden (2018). She is a member of the British Academy, Leopoldina, and Academia Europaea.