A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

How inquisitive was medieval inquisition? A network-analytical approach to information flow in the trials for Brandenburg-Pomeranian Waldensians (late 14th c.)




AuthorsSikk, Kaarel; Välimäki, Reima; Zbiral, David

PublisherOxford University Press (OUP)

Publication year2025

Journal: Digital Scholarship in the Humanities

Article numberfqaf138

ISSN2055-7671

eISSN2055-768X

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1093/llc/fqaf138

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Partially Open Access publication channel

Web address https://doi.org/10.1093/llc/fqaf138

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/508364570

Self-archived copy's licenceCC BY

Self-archived copy's versionPublisher`s PDF


Abstract

In this study, we analyse a medieval inquisitorial campaign by conceptualizing it as an information process. We investigate how investigative decision-making was structured by testimony-driven data gathering. Our case study is Peter Zwicker's well-documented 1393-4 anti-Waldensian inquisition in Stettin. We explore the reconstruction of the inquisitor's strategy by examining the sequencing of interrogations and subsequent actions based on suspects' names appearing in previous testimonies. We assess the extent to which the process was adaptive, with suspects summoned dynamically based on new testimonies versus being guided by pre-existing knowledge. We apply network analysis and temporal visualization to incriminations operationalized as network data and use statistical methods to map the feedback between information retrieval and decision-making. Our analysis follows sequences of interrogations where deponents incriminated others on specific dates. This allows us to identify inquisitorial responses to accumulated data, distinguishing between planned strategies and reactive decisions based on new testimony. The challenge of missing data adds complexity and theoretical engagement. A substantial portion of the depositions is lost, yet we can estimate the original volume, enabling an assessment of the impact of data loss. We employ data imputation simulations to test how missing records might obscure evidence of follow-up strategies. The results indicate that network visualization must be complemented by statistical analysis. Comparisons between deponents' testimony types reveal an interplay between structured pre-planning and selective incorporation of new intelligence. By conceptualizing inquisitorial work as a dynamic information process, this study proposes a novel methodological framework for analysing historical trial documents.


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Funding information in the publication
The contributions by Sikk and Zbiral are part of the 'Dissident Networks Project' (DISSINET, https://dissinet.cz), which has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. 101000442, project 'Networks of Dissent: Computational Modelling of Dissident and Inquisitorial Cultures in Medieval Europe'). The contribution by Valimaki is a part of the project 'Causalities of Polemics and Persecution in Late Medieval Europe' (PERSECUTIO, https://sites.utu.fi/persecutio/), which is funded by the Research Council of Finland (Academy Fellowship 2023-7, grant number 356086).


Last updated on 19/02/2026 08:17:30 AM