Royal Historical Society
Dr Dries Raeymaekers, lecturer in Early Modern History, was named Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. The Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868 and by now has over 150 years of history. It is an academic association, a membership organisation, and a charity. These days, the RHS is the leading historical association in the United Kingdom. It is held in high regard and collaborates closely with similar organisations abroad.
The membership to the Fellowship is subject to a thorough peer review process. The title of Fellow is awarded only to those researchers whose work goes beyond their own specialism and which provides insights that contribute to a better understanding of larger historical questions and themes.
Dries Raeymaekers
Dries teaches Early Modern History at Radboud University. His research focuses on the political culture of the Early Modern period, with particular attention to the history of the monarchy in Western Europe.
In his work, he primarily investigates the role of royal dynasties and the courts from which they ruled. The central question is how people in the 16th and 17th century gained access to power and were able to influence policy-making. He does not only focus on kings and queens, but also those who surrounded them: courtiers, diplomats, advisors and servants. In doing so, he maps how power and influence were built and used at the royal court.
Dries studied History in Leuven and defended his PhD thesis on research into Brussels’ court in the early 17th century in 2009 in Antwerpen. Since 2012, he has been associated with the History programme at Radboud University, where he received the University Education Award in 2015. He has furthermore been active as a Visiting Scholar at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, the Institute of Historical Research in London, the Sorbonne in Paris and the Centre de Recherche du Château de Versailles.
I am very happy with this wonderful recognition of my work as a historian. The Royal Historical Society is one of the oldest and most well-respected academic societies in the world that concern themselves with studying the past: it is an honour to be a part of it.