The Verbruggen Prize

In honour of Jans F. Verbruggen, one of the most noteworthy scholars in the field of medieval warfare, De Re Militari has created the Verbruggen Prize, given annually for the best book on medieval military history. All De Re Miltiari members are invited to nominate a book.

Rules:

1. The prize will be offered annually for the best book on medieval military history published within the prior three years (e.g. books published 2001-2003 will be eligible for the 2004 prize.)

2. Authors or publishers may nominate a book, but for the book to be eligible, one copy of it must reach each of the three committee members by 30 December of the year preceding the award. The book may be on any aspect of medieval military history, broadly conceived.

3. The Award Committee will base their selection on the following three criteria, in descending order of importance:

A. Importance and originality of the contribution to the field of medieval military history.

B. Quality and depth of scholarship

C. Clarity and quality of prose.

4. For the 2004 Prize, the committee will comprise of Paul Gans (New York University, Main, 100 Washington Sq. East, New York, NY 10003) Richard Abels (Department of History, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD 21402-5044) and Jonathan France (University of Wales, Swansea). Committee members will serve two-year terms. The committee chair (currently Professor Gans) will nominate a new committee slate at the DRM annual meeting.

5. The prize committee will choose the winner by majority vote by 15 March. If there is a three-way tie, the President of De Re Militari will cast the tie-breaking vote. The prize will be awarded at the De Re Militari Special Session at Kalamazoo. For 2004, it will consist of $150 and a framed certificate.

For more information, please contact Paul Gans at gans@scholar.chem.nyu.edu