Heather J. Tanner

Dr. Heather J. Tanner is a Professor of History at The Ohio State University, Mansfield campus, within the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds office in Ovalwood Hall and specializes in medieval European history with a particular focus on political power structures.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Medieval History from the University of California, Santa Barbara (1993), an M.A. in History (1988), and a B.A. in History and Business Economics (1984) with Summa cum laude honors.

Dr. Tanner's research centers on how noble and royal women exercised power in northern France, Belgium, and England from the tenth through mid-thirteenth centuries. Her work explores lordship, feudalism, administration, law and custom, as well as emotions and rituals within medieval political structures. She has developed a new model of political development for northern France that moves beyond traditional feudalism frameworks.

Her publications demonstrate consistent scholarly output over two decades, with her most recent work examining how the extension of feudalism and centralized government did not curtail elite women's access to power into the mid-thirteenth century. Her research shows particular strength in analyzing gender dynamics within medieval political systems.

• National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship
• Coca-Cola Critical Difference grant
• College of Arts and Sciences Mid-Career Faculty Excellence Award (2023)
• Susan M. Hartmann Mentoring and Leadership Award (2020)

Dr. Tanner has mentored numerous students throughout her career at multiple institutions. She has secured significant research funding including NEH and Coca-Cola grants. Her current projects include collaborative work with Cambridge University on 'women on the move' for the Global Flanders project and research on the origins of the honour system in England. She previously taught at Bates College, University of Oregon, and Lake Forest College before joining OSU-Mansfield.

Dr. Tanner maintains active research collaborations with international scholars and participates in interdisciplinary projects involving historians and archaeologists studying medieval Flanders.