Rhea Mertes

I obtained my Master's degree in History at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in 2025. During these studies, I developed a particular interest in social mobility in the late medieval Low Countries. My Master's thesis explored the influence of social status and origin on legal prosecution in late medieval Bruges. I am currently working as a joint PhD researcher at VUB and Ghent University under the supervision of Bart Lambert (VUB), Frederik Buylaert (UGent) and Thijs Lambrecht (UGent). My doctoral research explores the circulation of ideas in the late medieval Low Countries through the lens of food market regulation. By comparing urban and rural ordinances, I trace how notions of health and safety were constructed, contested, and transmitted across communities. In doing so, the project seeks to deepen our understanding of the negotiation and adaptation of social norms in premodern Europe.