Vendula Hoppe

Vendula Hoppe is a postgraduate researcher and Teaching Assistant in the Department of History at the University of Manchester. Her PhD project, funded by the ESRC, examines the material, societal, and economic significance of velvets in Renaissance Venice and Prague (1400–1700), supervised by Professors Sasha Handley and Stefan Hanß. She holds a First Class Honours BA in History with French from the University of Manchester (2016–2019) and a Distinction-level MA in Renaissance Studies from the University of Warwick (2019–2020).

Her research focuses on early modern material cultures, textile studies, and socio-economic/cultural history. She has conducted archival research in Italy and the Czech Republic, including a six-month visiting studentship at the European University Institute (Florence). Notable awards include the Sir John Hale Prize for her MA thesis on foreign shoppers in Renaissance Venice and the Dr Greg Wells Award for research funding.

Teaching responsibilities include designing seminars and assessing students for the first-year module “Forging a New World – Europe c.1450–1750.” She has presented work at major conferences, including the Renaissance Society of America Annual Meeting (2023) and the Venetian Seminar (2024). Her training includes courses in Renaissance Italian, palaeography, and textile conservation.