On 24th March, a ceremony marking the renewal of Prof. Maria Koczerska’s doctoral degree took place in the Senate Hall of the Casimir Palace on the University of Warsaw campus. Prof. Koczerska is an eminent medievalist and a scholar of the history of the Church and society in medieval Poland.
The decision to renew the doctorate is a recognition of Prof. Maria Koczerska’s outstanding academic achievements and her many years of organisational work. The motion was adopted by the Faculty Council of the UW’s Faculty of History on 5th June 2025, and the ceremony was subsequently granted university-wide status by a resolution of the UW Senate on 24th September 2025.
“The renewal of Professor’s doctoral degree is a mark of the highest recognition of her academic, teaching, and organisational achievements, as well as of her approach as an academic teacher. Prof. Koczerska is a model scholar who combines outstanding research achievements with a commitment to educating future generations of students,” said Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak, the UW Rector.
The laudation was delivered by Prof. Piotr Węcowski from the UW’s Faculty of History, who highlighted the significance of Prof. Maria Koczerska’s academic work and her contribution to the development of Polish medieval studies and the University of Warsaw. The reviewers of Prof. Koczerska’s academic work were Prof. Tomasz Jurek from the Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Prof. Anna Sochacka from Maria Curie-Skłodowska University.
A distinguished medievalist
Prof. Maria Koczerska has spent her entire professional life at the University of Warsaw. She graduated in 1967, obtained her PhD in 1972 at the University of Warsaw’s Institute of History, and was awarded her habilitation in 1980. She gained the title of professor in 2006. Over more than five decades of academic and teaching work, she helped shape the community of historians at the UW, holding numerous organisational roles, including head of the Department of Auxiliary Sciences and Methodology of History and director of the UW’s Institute of History. Her works include numerous academic publications on the social and ecclesiastical history of the Middle Ages, as well as popularisation and textbook writing.
“This overview of Prof. Maria Koczerska’s body of work leads one to conclude that she has left a lasting mark in all these fields, earning recognition and authority amongst medievalists. There is no doubt that her in-depth analysis and interpretation of source material have broadened and brought to life the picture of society, culture and politics in medieval Poland, whilst her commitment to education at both academic and school levels has contributed to the dissemination and popularisation of modern historical research methods and serves as an inspiration for further academic challenges,” wrote Prof. Anna Sochacka in her review.
“Prof. Maria Koczerska is a prominent figure among Warsaw and Polish historians, having on more than one occasion represented our academic community with distinction on the international stage (through publications or participation in international conferences) – though she does not belong to the generation that immediately makes a name for itself on the wider world stage; in the past, one first had to achieve something truly significant before one could present oneself to the outside world. An outstanding and distinguished researcher, the founder (as I have sought to demonstrate) of a certain school of historical thought, she is also a person endowed with immense tact, personal charm and, something which I believe is also very necessary for a true scholar, a cheerful sense of humour. It is people like this who forge and maintain the bonds that unite the academic community. I therefore consider the recognition of her achievements and person, through the renewal of her doctorate in accordance with academic tradition, to be fully deserved and indeed self-evident,” emphasised Prof. Tomasz Jurek.
