Dr Gillian Jack

I’m a historian of late medieval and early modern Italy, with a focus on prostitution, nuns, and welfare. I hold an MA from the University of Edinburgh and an MLitt and PhD from the University of St Andrews. My doctoral thesis was on Sant’Elisabetta delle Convertite, a monastery for repentant prostitutes in Florence.

My research focuses on poor women and girls in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Florence. I am interested in how they negotiated their interactions with the city and how civic authorities attempted both to restrict and facilitate their lives.

I currently teach at The Open University.