A leading historian of early modern Europe and a distinguished author, Natalie Zemon Davis has significantly influenced the fields of French medieval and Renaissance history as well as women’s studies, English, anthropology, art history, Jewish studies and film studies, among other areas, in her 30-plus-year teaching career.

On Feb. 9, the Wittenberg community had the opportunity to reflect on Davis’ career during the Wittenberg Series-sponsored William A. Kinnison Endowed Lecture in History in Weaver Chapel.

A professor emeritus at Princeton University and professor of medieval studies at the University of Toronto, Davis fell in love with history in high school, studying all the periods she could from ancient Sumeria to modern America. Yet, it was the European Enlightenment and French Revolution that truly captivated her.

“France seemed as exotic and beautiful as a fairy tale, yet it also seemed like home,” Davis once said following her first trip to the country in 1952 to work in the archives. “Holding the documents from the 16th century in my hands was a special form of communication with those long-dead people I wanted to bring to life again in my writings.”

Author of more than seven books, including Slaves on Screen: Film and Historical Vision, The Gift in Sixteenth-Century France and The Return of Martin Guerre, Davis received the prestigious International Toynbee Prize in 2000.