Phyllis Jestice

Professor and Chair

Dr. Jestice's research field is the history of religion in medieval Europe. She has published a monograph, Wayward Monks and the Religions Revolution of the Eleventh Century (Brill, 1997), an Encyclopedia of Irish Spirituality (ABC-Clio, 2001), as well as a number of articles on topics in the religious history of Europe. Jestice's work has also broadened to embrace comparative religious history, most notably in editing a three-volume encyclopedia, Holy People of the World: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia (ABC-Clio, 2004). In her spare time she also translates from both German and French; she has published translations of Whalen Lai and Michael von Brück'sChristianity and Buddhism (Orbis, 2001) Gerd Althoff's Otto III (Penn State, 2003), and Nikolas Jaspert’s The Crusades (Routledge, 2006).  Teaching interests have also led to a significant sideline in medieval (especially naval) warfare, with a large number of articles and book chapters for popular histories as well as the single-authored volume The Timeline of Medieval Warfare (Amber Books, 2008).

Current research examines an unusual period of medieval German history—the two decades starting in 983 when three women served in turn as regents of the German empire.  Dr. Jestice has given a series of conference papers on the topic as she prepares the work for publication.

Besides serving as chair of the USM History Department, Dr. Jestice teaches a wide array of courses in the fields of ancient, medieval, and early modern European History.  She is a recipient of the 2005 USM Aubrey K. and Ella G. Lucas Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award as well as the 2008 Mississippi Humanities Council Humanities Teacher Award.