To celebrate its 175th anniversary, the Royal Historical Commission has decided to introduce a biennial prize - the Henri Pirenne (1862-1935) Prize - as a tribute to this great historian who was the Commission’s active secretary and treasurer from 1907 until his death.

Rule

  1. The prize is aimed at rewarding the author, regardless of nationality, for his/her substantial editing of texts, original or not, considered to be exemplary and relative to the history of Belgium. It is permitted for the printed works submitted to the jury for assessment to have been published in the Commission’s collections or elsewhere. Unless a request has been made to the Commission, electronic copies must be presented in the form of hard copies. The Commission will accept works written in French, Dutch, German, English, Spanish and Italian
  2. The prize will be awarded every two years for a work relating either to mediaeval history, the history of modern times or contemporary history. If the work presented has been printed, it must have been published during the six years preceding application to the competition. The registration of copyright date will act as proof.
  3. The prize is worth two thousand euros and will be awarded for the first time in 2009. Printed works that are allowed to compete cannot have been published earlier than 2003.
  4. Candidates must apply before 1st February, with the postmark serving as proof. For this purpose, they must send two copies of the work they are entering as well as a curriculum vitae to the Royal Historical Commission (Palais des Académies, Rue Ducale 1, 1000 Brussels).
  5. Members of the Royal Historical Commission may not enter the competition. Likewise, winners of the Henri Pirenne Prize may not re-enter the competition in the future.
  6. Each piece of work will be submitted to four commissioners, designated by the Royal Historical Commission. They will draw up a report on the works they have been asked to read. These reports remain confidential. The Royal Historical Commission will decide on a winner after it has read all the reports. If none of the works meet its scientific criteria, the Royal Historical Commission may decide not to award the prize. In this case, the amount will not be carried forward.
  7. If the work awarded the prize is original, the Royal Historical Commission has the right to publish it in its collections if it so wishes. In this case, the author promises to take into account any possible remarks made by the commissioners in the final edition.
  8. No appeal can be made against the decisions of the Royal Historical Commission. It reserves the right to interpret the present regulations as it sees fit.

Winners

2009


Godfried CROENEN

De oorkonden van de familie Berthout (1212-1425), in-4° series (A75)