Current Appointments 2023– Senior Researcher, International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam, NL; Geohumanities Research Coordinator for the KNAW Humanities Cluster 2019– Affiliated Member, DH Lab, KNAW Humanities Cluster, Amsterdam, NL
Education 2008–2017 Ph.D., History (cum laude / with distinction), Leiden University, NL Dissertation Title: The Late Fifteenth-Century Utrecht Chronicle of the Teutonic Order: Manuscripts, Sources, and Authorship 2001–2008 M.A., Medieval History, Leiden University, NL Thesis Title (translated): ‘Among these knights are also priests’. A prosopographical study of the priest-brethren of the Teutonic Order in the Utrecht bailiwick, 1350-1600
Professional Experience 2015–2022 Postdoctoral Researcher, International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam, NL 2021 Lecturer, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, NL 2018–2019 Postdoctoral Researcher, International Institute of Social History, ‘HINDI Project: The Historical Dynamics of Industrialization in Northwestern Europe and China ca. 1800-2010: a Regional Interpretation’ (link) 2015 Global Fellow, Weatherhead Initiative on Global History, Harvard University, USA 2013–2018 Researcher, International Institute of Social History, ‘Global Collaboratory on the History of Labour Relations, 1500-2000’ (link) 2010–2015 Lecturer (various appointments), Institute for History, Leiden University, NL 2008–2013 Guest-Ph.D. Student, Institute for History, Leiden University, NL 2008–2012 Ph.D. Student, Fryske Akademy, Leeuwarden, NL
Honors & Awards 2011 ADHO Bursary Award, DH Conference at Stanford University, Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations
Stapel, R.J. (ed.) (2024) The Utrecht Chronicle of the Teutonic Order. A History of the Crusades in the Holy Land, Prussia, and Livonia (Edition and Translation). Translated by R.J. Stapel and C.M. Saridjo. Abingdon/New York: Routledge. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2021) Medieval Authorship and Cultural Exchange in the Late Fifteenth Century: The Utrecht Chronicle of the Teutonic Order. Abingdon/New York: Routledge. Cite
Stapel, R.J. and Zandhuis, I. (2025) “Linked Data for modelling and replicating the knowledge production process in data-driven humanities research,” Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, 40(Supplement 1), pp. i100–i107. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/llc/fqae038. Cite
Derksen, M. et al. (2024) “Replication studies in the Netherlands: Lessons learned and recommendations for funders, publishers and editors, and universities,” Accountability in Research, pp. 1–19. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2024.2383349. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2023) “Historical Atlas of the Low Countries. A GIS Dataset of Locality-Level Boundaries (1350–1800),” Research Data Journal for the Humanities and Social Sciences, 8(1), pp. 1–33. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1163/24523666-bja10033. Cite
Zuijderduijn, C.J., Stapel, R.J. and Lucassen, J.M.W.G. (2018) “Coin Production in the Low Countries. Fourteenth Century to the Present,” Tijdschrift voor Sociale en Economische Geschiedenis, 15(2/3), pp. 69–88. Available at: http://doi.org/10.18352/tseg.1022. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2013) “Layer on layer. ‘Computational archaeology’ in 15th-century Middle Dutch historiography,” Literary and Linguistic Computing, 28(2), pp. 344–358. Available at: https://pure.knaw.nl/admin/files/1068364/344.full.pdf. Cite
Stapel, R.J. and van Steensel, A. (2025) “Lordship in Medieval Holland and Zeeland,” in E. Graham-Goering, J. van der Meulen, and F. Buylaert (eds.) Lordship and the Decentralized State in Late Medieval Europe. Oxford: The British Academy / OUP (Proceedings of the British Academy, 268), pp. 124–142. Cite
Oostindiër, A.E. and Stapel, R.J. (2022) “Demographic Shifts and the Politics of Taxation in the Making of Fifteenth-Century Brabant,” in M.J.M. Damen and K. Overlaet (eds.) Constructing and Representing Territory in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe. Amsterdam: AUP, pp. 141–178. Available at: https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/52143/9789048551804.pdf?sequence=1#page=142 (Accessed: January 1, 2022). Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2024) “To Map, to Ascertain. Reflections on the Practice of Mapping (Un)certain Knowledge from a Digital Humanities Perspective,” Journal for the History of Knowledge, 5, pp. 153–167. Available at: https://doi.org/10.55283/jhk.14640. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2017) “Holland rond 1500: een geografische verkenning van de Enqueste (1494) en Informacie (1514),” Holland: historisch tijdschrift, 49(4), pp. 177–184. Available at: http://tijdschriftholland.nl/wp-content/uploads/LR_2017_4.pdf (Accessed: February 3, 2020). Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2021) “Een rekenoefening in drie akten. Bevolking, priesters en hun herkomst in het bisdom Utrecht (begin zestiende eeuw),” in H. van Engen, H. Nijdam, and K. van Vliet (eds.) Macht, bezit en ruimte. Opstellen over de noordelijke Nederlanden in de middeleeuwen. Hilversum: Verloren, pp. 471–487. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2020) “Preußen und die frühe Verbreitung der ‘Jüngeren Hochmeisterchronik’. Kulturelle Verbindungen zwischen Utrecht, Königsberg und Mergentheim (um 1480-1530),” in M.-L. Heckmann and J. Sarnowsky (eds.) Schriftlichkeit im Preußenland. Osnabrück: Fibre (Tagungsberichte der Historischen Kommission für ost- und westpreußische Landesforschung, 30), pp. 211–231. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2017) “Kaart van het Graafschap Holland (1795),” in F.W. Lantink and J.J. Temminck (eds.) Heerlijkheden in Holland. Hilversum: Verloren (Publicaties van de Stichting Vrienden van het Noord-Hollands Archief, 3), pp. 111-116 [met kaart]. Cite
Bos-Rops, J.A.M.Y., Oost, H.G. and Stapel, R.J. (2017) “Archievenoverzicht van heerlijkheden en legenda bij de kaart van het Graafschap Holland (1795),” in F.W. Lantink and J.J. Temminck (eds.) Heerlijkheden in Holland. Hilversum: Verloren (Publicaties van de Stichting Vrienden van het Noord-Hollands Archief, 3), pp. 117–152. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2016) “Priest-brethren in the Utrecht bailiwick, their superiors and their ties to the community,” in U. Arnold (ed.) Priester im Deutschen Orden. Vorträge der Tagung der Internationalen Historischen Kommission zur Erforschung des Deutschen Ordens in Wien 2012. Weimar: VDG (Quellen und Studien zur Geschichte des Deutschen Ordens, 77), pp. 61–73. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2015) “The development of a medieval scribe,” in O. Duntze, T. Schaßan, and G. Vogeler (eds.) Kodikologie und Paläographie im Digitalen Zeitalter 3 / Codicology and Palaeography in the Digital Age 3. Norderstedt: Books on Demand (Schriften des Instituts für Dokumentologie und Editorik, 10), pp. 67–86. Available at: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-71519. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2012) “Power to the Educated? Priest-brethren and their Education, using Data from the Utrecht Bailiwick of the Teutonic Order (1350-1600),” in P. Edbury (ed.) The Military Orders 5: Politics and Power. Farnham: Ashgate, pp. 337–348. Available at: https://pure.knaw.nl/admin/files/1011432/041_Chapter_29_Stapel.pdf. Cite
Stapel, R.J. and Vollmann-Profe, G. (2010) “Cronike van der Duytscher Oirden (Chronicle of the Teutonic Order),” Encyclopedia of the Medieval Chronicle. Edited by G. Dunphy. Leiden/Boston: Brill. Cite
Stapel, R.J. and van Steensel, A. (2025) “Register of Lordships in Holland and Zeeland (c. 1200–1650).” IISH Data Collection. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10622/36HPCB (Accessed: December 30, 2023). Cite
Stapel, R.J. et al. (2024) “‘(Re)counting the Uncounted’: Links between Censuses and Historical GIS.” IISH Data Collection. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10622/9ZTT0C. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2023) “Historical Atlas of the Low Countries (1350-1800).” IISH Data Collection. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10622/PGFYTM (Accessed: October 10, 2023). Cite
Stapel, R.J. et al. (2023) “‘(Re)counting the Uncounted’: Catalogue and Typology of Premodern Censuses in the Low Countries.” IISH Data Collection. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10622/4FWVNL. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2023) “‘(Re)counting the Uncounted’: Documentation and Instructions.” IISH Data Collection. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10622/HWDA3Z. Cite
Stapel, R.J. et al. (2023) “‘(Re)counting the Uncounted’: Repository of Digitised Premodern Censuses in the Low Countries.” IISH Data Collection. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10622/E5BC1Y. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2023) “Diplomatic editions Utrecht Chronicle of the Teutonic Order (XML/TEI).” IISH Data Collection. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10622/FDTWVG (Accessed: August 28, 2022). Cite
Damen, M.J.M. et al. (2021) Hertogdom Brabant, Het hertogdom Brabant in de late middeleeuwen. Available at: https://hertogdombrabant.nl/ (Accessed: August 26, 2021). Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2021) “Duchy of Brabant GIS Collection.” IISH Data Collection. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10622/UOKBYL (Accessed: June 21, 2020). Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2021) “Reconstruction of the Grote Waard (Holland) prior to the St Elisabeth’s Flood (1421).” IISH Data Collection. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10622/XZAHCX (Accessed: June 4, 2021). Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2021) “Ordinations of priests in the medieval diocese of Utrecht (1505-1518).” IISH Data Collection. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10622/IEYIUX (Accessed: May 16, 2023). Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2020) “OpenGazAm: Linked Open Data Gazetteer of the Early-Modern Americas. Digitalisation of Jedidiah Morse, The American Gazetteer (Boston 1797).” IISH Data Collection. Available at: https://datasets.iisg.amsterdam/dataverse/opengazam (Accessed: February 13, 2021). Cite
Oostindiër, A.E. and Stapel, R.J. (2020) “Fiscal repartitions for the Duchy of Brabant (1383-1572).” IISH Data Collection. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10622/WGEKRX (Accessed: February 12, 2020). Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2020) “Hearth and Population Censuses for the Duchy of Brabant (1374-1800).” IISH Data Collection. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10622/YGRTHJ (Accessed: February 12, 2020). Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2017) “Mint Houses of the Low Countries.” IISH Data Collection. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10622/MLVN7A (Accessed: July 8, 2020). Cite
Zuijderduijn, C.J., Stapel, R.J. and Lucassen, J.M.W.G. (2016) “Coin Production in the Low Countries.” Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS). Available at: https://doi.org/10.17026/dans-xev-46h7. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (no date) “Provincial maps of China (around 1938).” IISH Data Collection. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10622/T41V65 (Accessed: March 22, 2022). Cite
Mourits, R.J., Riswick, T. and Stapel, R.J. (2025) “Common Language for Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability in Historical Demography,” in B. Steffen (ed.) Bridging the Gap Between AI and Reality. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland (Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 14129), pp. 10–29. Available at: https://www.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-73741-1_2. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2023) “Conflating Historical Population Statistics Using a Historical GIS with a Flexible Semantic Model for Premodern Administrative Units in the Low Countries: The (Re)counting the Uncounted and Historical Atlas of the Low Countries Projects,” in GeoHumanities ’23: Proceedings of the 7th ACM SIGSPATIAL International Workshop on Geospatial Humanities. Hamburg, Germany: ACM, pp. 56–59. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1145/3615887.3627756. Cite
Stapel, R.J. and Zandhuis, I. (2022) “Digital Humanities and Replication. Ingredients for a Love Story. Experiences from the ‘(Re)counting the Uncounted’ Project,” in Y. Wang et al. (eds.) Digital Humanties 2022: Responding to Asian Diversity. DH2022, Tokyo, Japan: DH2022 Local Organizing Committee, pp. 373–376. Available at: https://dh2022.dhii.asia/dh2022bookofabsts.pdf. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2021) “Historical Multimodal Transport Networks in East Asia. Modelling Historical Transport Times Using GIS and Chinese Travel Documents (Early Twentieth Century),” in. European Association for Digital Humanities 2020-2021, Krasnoyarsk. Available at: https://eadh2020-2021.org. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2018) “A New Historical Atlas of the Low Countries (ca. 1350-1795),” in Digital Humanities Benelux 2018. Conference Proceedings. Digital Humanities Benelux 2018, Amsterdam. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11755/ccb86903-2878-46d6-8856-70f572a4b276 (Accessed: July 8, 2020). Cite
Zijdeman, R.L. and Stapel, R.J. (2016) “Work In A Globalised World. Allocation Algorithm To Add Labour Relations To Digitised Census Data,” in Digital Humanities 2016. Conference abstracts. Digital Humanities, Kraków: Jagiellonian University & Pedagogical University, pp. 419–421. Available at: http://dh2016.adho.org/abstracts/306. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2016) “Reconstruction of Labour Relations in the North Sea Region in the Late Middle Ages: Spatio-Temporal Analysis Using Historical GIS, Taxation Sources, and Coin Finds,” in Digital Humanities 2016. Conference abstracts. Digital Humanities, Kraków: Jagiellonian University & Pedagogical University, pp. 366–369. Available at: http://dh2016.adho.org/abstracts/211. Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2017) The Late Fifteenth-Century Utrecht Chronicle of the Teutonic Order: Manuscripts, Sources, and Authorship. doctoral thesis. Leiden University. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/1887/45782 (Accessed: July 8, 2020). Cite
Derksen, M. et al. (2024) Replication studies in the Netherlands: Lessons learned and recommendations for funders, publishers and editors, and universities. preprint. Open Science Framework. Available at: https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/bj8xz. Cite
Hofmeester, K.M. et al. (2015) “The Global Collaboratory on the History of Labour Relations, 1500-2000: Background, Set-Up, Taxonomy, and Applications.” Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10622/4OGRAD (Accessed: July 8, 2020). Cite
Stapel, R.J. (2014) “H.J. Zuidervaart, Ridders, priesters en predikanten in Schelluinen. De geschiedenis van een commanderij van de Ridderlijke Duitsche Orde, Balije van Utrecht,” BMGN - Low Countries Historical Review, 129(4), p. 96. Available at: http://doi.org/10.18352/bmgn-lchr.9827. Cite
CV
dr. R.J. Stapel
International Institute of Social History
P.O. Box 2169
1000 CD Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Phone: +31 20 6685866
E-mail: rombert.stapel@iisg.nl
Personal website: http://www.rombertstapel.com/
Bluesky / Mastodon / X/Twitter / LinkedIn / Github / ORCID
Current Appointments
2023– Senior Researcher, International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam, NL; Geohumanities Research Coordinator for the KNAW Humanities Cluster
2019– Affiliated Member, DH Lab, KNAW Humanities Cluster, Amsterdam, NL
Education
2008–2017 Ph.D., History (cum laude / with distinction), Leiden University, NL
Dissertation Title: The Late Fifteenth-Century Utrecht Chronicle of the Teutonic Order: Manuscripts, Sources, and Authorship
2001–2008 M.A., Medieval History, Leiden University, NL
Thesis Title (translated): ‘Among these knights are also priests’. A prosopographical study of the priest-brethren of the Teutonic Order in the Utrecht bailiwick, 1350-1600
Professional Experience
2015–2022 Postdoctoral Researcher, International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam, NL
2021 Lecturer, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, NL
2018–2019 Postdoctoral Researcher, International Institute of Social History, ‘HINDI Project: The Historical Dynamics of Industrialization in Northwestern Europe and China ca. 1800-2010: a Regional Interpretation’ (link)
2015 Global Fellow, Weatherhead Initiative on Global History, Harvard University, USA
2013–2018 Researcher, International Institute of Social History, ‘Global Collaboratory on the History of Labour Relations, 1500-2000’ (link)
2010–2015 Lecturer (various appointments), Institute for History, Leiden University, NL
2008–2013 Guest-Ph.D. Student, Institute for History, Leiden University, NL
2008–2012 Ph.D. Student, Fryske Akademy, Leeuwarden, NL
Honors & Awards
2011 ADHO Bursary Award, DH Conference at Stanford University, Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations
Publications
Books
Refereed Journal Articles
Refereed Book Chapters
Journal Articles
Book Chapters
Datasets
Refereed Conference Proceedings
Thesis
Working Papers
Book Reviews
Presentations
A full list of presentations can be accessed here: https://pure.knaw.nl/portal/en/persons/rombert-stapel/activities/.
Grants
2023–2025 HisGIS 1832: Digitizing, Vectorising, and Modelling the Napoleonic Cadastre of the Netherlands (R.J. Stapel and Thomas Vermaut (PI)). Ministry of Education / Rijksdienst voor Cultureel Erfgoed. €750.000.
2020–2023 (Re)counting the Uncounted. Replication and Contextualisation of Premodern Dutch and Belgian Population Estimates (1350-1800) (R.J. Stapel (PI)). NWO Replication Studies, third round. €149.000.
2021–2023 Common Language for Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability in Historical Demography (CLAIR-HD) (R.J. Stapel (PI) together with Rick Mourits, who initiated and coordinated the project). NWO Open Science Fund. €49.000.
2017–2018 OpenGazAm: Linked Open Data Gazetteers of the Americas (R.J. Stapel (PI)). CLARIAH Research Pilot. €58.000.
2017–2019 TICCLAT: Text-Induced Corpus Correction and Lexical Assessment Tool (Reynaert, M. (PI), Keuleers, E., van der Sloot, K., Depuydt, K., Bloothooft, G. & Stapel, R.J.). eScience Center Advancing Scientific Discovery in the Humanities Call. €100.000 and 1fte/yr contribution in kind. R.J. Stapel: €5.000.
2016–2017 Coin Production in the Low Countries, 1334-1789 (C.J. Zuijderduijn (PI), R.J. Stapel and J.M.W.G. Lucassen). Small Data Project, Data Archiving and Networked Services. €8.000
Professional Memberships
Internationale Historische Kommission zur Erforschung des Deutschen Ordens
Historische Kommission für ost- und westpreußische Landesforschung
Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin East
European Association for Digital Humanities
European Society for Environmental History
Koninklijk Nederlands Historisch Genootschap
Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde
Contactgroep Signum
Professional Activities (selection)
2024– Editorial board member Research Data Journal for the Humanities and Social Sciences (2016–2024: Brill; 2025–: t.b.a.)
2022– Board member Contactgroep Signum.
2020–2024 Jury member Volkskrant/IISG Scriptieprijs.
2008– Editorial board member Contactgroep Signum.