Ronan O'Reilly

PhD Candidate in History

About Ronan...

Researcher the in radicalisation of knights in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Ronan gained a BA in History and Celtic Civilization at University College Dublin before attending Royal Holloway where he studied for an MA in Crusader Studies. Ronan’s thesis explored extremist action in the medieval period by focusing on the role of death on crusade as means of reconciling knights with the Church. Ronan’s PhD project has continued to build on his MA thesis by further examining extremist actions by defining and analysing the radicalisation of knights in the 12th and 13th centuries. The project seeks to understand the past through a modern lens by applying contemporary understandings of radicalising mechanisms to the medieval period, with particular emphasis on the role of preaching, history, memorialisation, and chivalry in the radicalisation process. The results of this project will enable a systematic re-examination of the field of study by providing an analytical toolkit for understanding sources that have received considerable scholarly attention but for which a theoretical framework does not yet exist. This study, by developing such a framework, will lead to an entirely new understanding of the motivations and actions of individuals whilst on crusade whilst simultaneously linking the past with the present. 

Institutional Affiliations

2021-Present

Royal Holloway, University of London

PhD candidate in History

2018-2019

Royal Holloway, University of London

MSc Crusader Studies

2015-2018

University College Dublin

BA History and Celtic Civilisation