Benjamin Pohl

Benjamin Pohl is Professor of Medieval History in the Department of History at the University of Bristol's Faculty of Arts, appointed to this position in 2024 after serving as Associate Professor (Reader) since 2022, Senior Lecturer since 2018, and Lecturer since his 2015 appointment. He maintains external affiliations as Corresponding Member of the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Bamberg (since 2024), External Examiner for Medieval Studies at Trinity College Dublin (since 2023), and External Examiner for History at Cardiff University (since 2022).

His research centers on medieval European history with specialized expertise in manuscript studies, palaeography, codicology, book history, and cultural memory. His work frequently examines monastic documentary cultures, Norman history, and the materiality of medieval texts, as evidenced by his focus on cartularies, chronicles, and illuminated manuscripts across 12th-13th century Europe.

His recent publications reveal strong thematic continuity in medieval documentary practices, with emerging emphasis on community heritage projects and interdisciplinary approaches combining historical analysis with material science. The 2025 monograph on the Aynho Cartulary exemplifies his methodological innovation in documentary culture studies.

• Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS)
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy/AdvanceHE (FHEA)
• Councillor of the Bristol Record Society
• Member of AHRC Peer Review College
• Life Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Pohl has supervised six research students and secured significant research funding, including as Principal Investigator for the Aynho Cartulary project (2022-2023) and the Rework of History for the community project (2019-2021). His collaborative SABM project developing the Bristol-Macquarie Strategic Alliance demonstrates international research leadership. He directs the Centre for Medieval Studies at Bristol and co-edits the Bristol Studies in Medieval Cultures series, while also contributing to the journal Tabularia: Sources écrites des mondes normands médiévaux.