Leon Pürstinger

Leon Pürstinger serves as a Research Associate in the FWF Weave Joint Project "Histories in Transition: The Case of Freising and Salzburg" (9th–12th c.) at the Department of Historical Identity Research, Institute for Medieval Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences. Concurrently, he pursues doctoral studies in philosophy at the University of Vienna, focusing on historical research methodologies.

His academic foundation includes:

• Doctoral studies in philosophy (University of Vienna, 2024–present; dissertation area: history)
• Master's degree in Historical Auxiliary Sciences and Archival Science (University of Vienna, 2021–2024; grade: 1.00; thesis: "The History of a Franconian World History from Late Carolingian Reims to Early Capetian Saint-Bertin")
• Bachelor's degree in History (University of Vienna, 2018–2021; distinction)
• Bachelor's degree in German Philology (University of Vienna, 2019–present)

His research traverses Medieval Historiography, Historical Auxiliary Sciences, and Gender & Agency in Medieval and Early Modern Europe, with specialized focus on Historical Identity Studies and History of Emotions. He integrates Digital Humanities methodologies to analyze manuscript transmission, noblewomen's agency, and religious-cultural dynamics in Central Europe. His work bridges textual analysis with socio-economic contexts, particularly examining how gender intersected with confessional, political, and familial structures in early modern aristocratic societies.

His recent publications investigate the multifaceted agency of noblewomen Casparina von Hardegg (1532–1566) and Johanna von Lamberg (1574–1644), revealing how they navigated religious constraints, economic networks, and familial obligations within Habsburg territories. These studies demonstrate his interdisciplinary approach, combining archival analysis with gender theory to illuminate women's roles in shaping early modern Central European society.

From 2020–2024, Pürstinger contributed to digital transcription projects for Gregory of Tours' Decem libri historiarum at the same department, while presenting internationally on manuscript transcription technologies. His conference engagements at Leeds IMC (2022), Mainz Workshop on Digital Editing (2022), and Vienna's "Golden Years for the Dark Ages" conference (2022) reflect his commitment to advancing Digital Humanities in medieval studies.