Richard Barton

Richard Barton serves as an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the History Department at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), specializing in medieval European history with a focus on aristocratic power structures in Western France (c.900-1250).

His research reconceptualizes medieval power beyond physical domination to examine affective dimensions including honor, charisma, emotional conventions, and gender constraints within aristocratic society. Barton employs interdisciplinary methodologies analyzing charters, chronicles, legal records, saints' lives, and chansons de geste across regions including Maine, Anjou, Touraine, Vendômois, western Brittany, and Normandy.

Barton teaches foundational and advanced courses including HIS 221: The Medieval Legacy, HIS 310: Women in the Middle Ages, HIS 311: The Viking Age, HIS 312: The Crusades, and specialized graduate seminars on Violence, Emotions, and Civil War in Medieval Europe. As Director of Graduate Studies, he oversees the department's graduate curriculum and mentorship programs.