Supporting sovereign decision-making

Experts and their knowledge in a transcultural and comparative perspective

This conference aims at investigating which resources were available to premodern rulers in their decision-making duties. Through their knowledge, advisors and experts could assist the sovereign in taking decisions. Therefore, they took part in councils and thus were able to indicate solutions to problems and influence decisions. In so doing, they based their expertise on various resources of knowledge, amongst which the exact sciences (astronomy, astrology, as well as observations on natural phenomena like thunders and earthquakes) played an essential role. Normative and narrative sources refer to those sciences in many ways.

In the frame of this conference, the various modes of decision-making in the areas of the Eastern Mediterranean, the Arab world, and the Far East come under consideration. The transmission of specialized knowledge and its evaluation in the decision-making process led by the sovereign / (absolute) ruler / monarch is also addressed in comparison with similarly structured societies of premodern times.

The main questions addressed are: What kind of knowledge was available and suitable for supporting/backing the process of decision-making? What role or function did experts assume? Was there any organized way of consultation in the various ruling/power centres? In which fields was this backing/expertise utilized (e.g. military or administration)? To what extent was the ruler/sovereign dependent on or influenced by those resources? Were there (any) strategies for keeping knowledge under control?

Programme