Samuel Beňa received his BA in British and American studies from the University of Prešov, Slovakia (2010) and his MA in Medieval Studies from the Central European University (2014). Samuel’s main interest lies in the intersection of military, political and social history. His MA thesis – The Small War in the Late Middle Ages: a Comparison of the English and Bohemian Experiences – focused on examples of small-scale skirmishes and ravaging operations and their role within the military strategy of late medieval East-Central Europe. As an independent author, Samuel wrote several articles for Czech and Slovak journals of military history. The papers focus on the context and value of didactic letters for late medieval military history, the importance of equestrian equipment to pre-modern warfare, and the reconstruction of the Battle of Thomaswalde (1488).
At present, Samuel is a doctoral candidate at the Department of Medieval Studies. His future PhD thesis aims to explore the interrelation between the conditions of military service in the late medieval Bohemian royal army and the genesis of the rebellious league of Zelena Hora (1465–1471).