Astrid Nilsson

I have several current projects. The largest is a recently started critical edition of a 14th century Latin translation of Marco Polo's description of his long stay in the East. The beginning of this project was funded by C.M. Lericis stiftelse which enabled me to spend half a year working at the Vatican Library. 

One of my smaller projects is a pilot project about causation in the work of Livy and Gregory of Tours, funded by Åke Wibergs stiftelse and Helge Ax:son Johnsons stiftelse. The other is a study for an upcoming conference, the fifth of the Nordic Network for Renaissance Studies, about the Carta Marina and the work of Johannes and Olaus Magnus. I have also just completed a monograph about marginalia by King Eric XIV of Sweden, and am following it up with several articles.

After my thesis defence in Spring 2016, about Johannes Magnus’ major work of history, the Historia de omnibus Gothorum Sueonumque regibus, I have continued working with two projects linked to Johannes Magnus himself or to his work. The first one, supported by a grant from Birgit and Gad Rausing’s stiftelse, is a study of the marginalia in Johannes Magnus’ copy, written by himself, of Marco Polo’s work about his travels in the East. The manuscript is now kept in the Vatican Library. The other, which is completed and has resulted in a monograph that will be published in 2021, is supported by grants from Gullberg/Thott, Åke Wiberg, and Gyllenstiernska Krapperupstiftelsen. This project too deals with marginalia, this time by King Eric XIV of Sweden (1533–1577). A few of his books have been preserved, and are kept in Uppsala and Stockholm. One of the books, and the one that is the focus of my study, is a copy of Johannes’ historical work. I presented results from these projects in Albacete (Spain) and Helsinki respectively, as well as at a symposium in Lund.

In addition, I have been one of the editors of Arne Jönsson’s 800-page Festschrift, written a few articles, and presented at a number of conferences, most recently a presentation in German, in Marburg (November 2019, before the pandemic struck). During my stay at the Swedish institute in Rome (2020),  I presented twice at the seminar there.