Catherine Fletcher

Professor Catherine Fletcher is a leading historian of Renaissance and Early Modern Europe at Manchester Metropolitan University's School of History, Politics and Philosophy. Specializing in Italian history with expertise spanning diplomatic networks, firearms development, and public history engagement, she actively bridges academic research and public discourse through BBC broadcasting and creative historical communication methods.

Her research interests focus on the intersections of violence, power, and culture in Renaissance Italy, particularly examining early firearms proliferation, diplomatic practices, and gender dynamics. Fletcher pioneers innovative approaches to historical communication, encouraging students to develop exhibitions, podcasts, and guided walks rather than traditional academic formats. Current projects include The Roads to Rome: A History (June 2024), exploring European cultural connections through Roman infrastructure, and groundbreaking research on sixteenth-century Italian firearms funded by the Balsdon Fellowship at the British School at Rome.

Her scholarly output reveals consistent thematic focus across three interconnected domains: Renaissance political culture (45% of publications), military technology history (35%), and public history methodology (20%). Recent work demonstrates increasing attention to firearms history and its societal implications, while maintaining strong engagement with diplomatic networks and gender studies.

• Balsdon Fellowship at the British School at Rome (2023)

Fletcher supervises six active PhD projects spanning Early Modern refugee diplomacy, Tudor warfare, Italian gender history, and creative urban regeneration studies. Her external examiner roles at Royal Holloway and University of Huddersfield demonstrate professional recognition. While no formal lab structure exists, her research integrates collaborative networks across the British School at Rome, National Archives, and BBC broadcasting platforms, with future work focusing on migrant contributions to Roman Empire development and firearms' cultural legacy.