Looking forward to speaking in Madrid on manuscript layout and the visualisation of universal history. I'll be talking about Robert of Torigni, sharing a bit from my new book with @boydellandbrewer.bsky.social, and test some new ideas on Norman Italy along with some brilliant scholars. Can’t wait!
Still thinking about last night’s conversation with David Nirenberg reflecting on the impact of his Communities of Violence 30 years after its publication. A thought-provoking evening expertly organised by the @ghilondon.bsky.social at the stunning Art Workers’ Guild in London.
Some exciting discovery here!
Exciting times for the study 11thC England: the 'lost' seal of Edward the Confessor has been rediscovered in the Archives nationales de France! #SkyStorians #MedievalSky
This is a really excellent idea that is extremely valuable!
Please share! EHR is hosting a free one-day symposium at St John's College, Oxford, on Friday 17 April, 10-6, on the theme 'When there are no sources'.
Further details and how to sign up here:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/when-there...
Delighted to share the news of an upcoming public event organised by Queen Mary University and German Historical Institute of London. This event celebrates the 30th anniversary of the publication of ‘Communities of Violence’, by Prof David Nirenberg. This was a ground-breaking book that changed scholarly perspectives on religious violence and attitudes towards religious minorities in the late medieval and early modern periods. We are incredibly grateful to say that we will have Prof Nirenberg himself joining us and engaging in conversation with other scholars. They will discuss Prof Nirenberg’s work, its ongoing impact on the field, and the history of religious confrontations and religious persecution more broadly. We would like to warmly invite you all to join us for this event. It will take place on 14th April 2026, 5:30-7:30pm at the Art Workers’ Guild London. If you wish to attend, please register via the link provided. We look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible!
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of 'Communities of Violence' by Prof David Nirenberg! He will be engaging in conversation with other scholars about his work and the history of religious persecution.
Join us on 14 April at @ghilondon.bsky.social 😊
#skystorians #medievalsky #earlymodern #medieval
My definition of quality time in Paris. Indulging in a café noisette just outside the Sorbonne with a newly (and proudly) acquired first edition of Jacques Le Goff's Saint Louis.
It's my pleasure, Ben! Also, thank you very much indeed for your kind words. (I cannot help but noticing they've slightly damaged a corner of the book: ira gravissima!)
I'm happy to share that I've recently joined @ghilondon.bsky.social as a Research Associate! A few weeks into this new chapter, and I'm already enjoying working with @marcusmeer.bsky.social, combing my work in historiography with new research avenues in medieval economic culture. Thrilled!
Universal chronicle-writing finally receives the international attention it deserves. Very much look forward to be giving a paper at this conference 📚
I may have experimented with building various forms of architecture, yes.
You know what makes your day? Receiving the author copies of your book at home! It's genuinely great to hold it finally in my hands, ink on paper and real weight. If you'd like a copy, the code BB135 gets you 35% off all formats when buying from boydellandbrewer.com.
I’m positively chuffed✨
Original thirteenth-century pilgrim canteen found in Brindisi, southern Apulia. I am sure it contained only the least sinful of refreshments.
Of course! I will send it via email.
That’s a great project! While in Toronto I found, by chance, a letter from Ker to John C. Pope about the death of Pope’s wife, Jean. It was inside a copy of Ker’s Catalogue at PIMS library. It seemed authentic but I’m unsure whether it was ever catalogued? I took a pic and I’d be happy to send it!
If you ask my favourite spot in a library, it has to be the temporary storage. This is where books pile up waiting (im)patiently for their place. No shelves yet, no topic categories, no genres. There is only a natural stratification of discovery. Here curiosity leads and the unexpected finds you.
And for graduate students wanting to edit Latin texts we have a specialist training at London International Palaeography Summer School 2026. #MedievalSky 👇
ies.sas.ac.uk/study-traini...
Very sad news. Professor Stephen Baxter was a remarkable scholar and I will always be grateful for the opportunity he gave me when he interviewed me for the MA in Medieval History at KCL in 2014. That moment set me on the path to my life in the UK and my career in research. May he rest in peace.
It is with deep sadness that the Master and Fellows of St Peter’s College share news of the death of Professor Stephen Baxter, Fellow and Tutor in Medieval History. Our full tribute will be shared soon. https://ow.ly/cy8J50Y0yrB
This is such a shock.
A wrongly scanned page from the book "Anzaygung grüntlicher || natürlicher vrsachen der natur..." (1531), nowadays in München, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek -- Res/4 Astr.p. 528,44.
Another wrongly scanned page from the book "Anzaygung grüntlicher || natürlicher vrsachen der natur..." (1531), nowadays in München, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek -- Res/4 Astr.p. 528,44.
And another wrongly scanned page from the book "Anzaygung grüntlicher || natürlicher vrsachen der natur..." (1531), nowadays in München, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek -- Res/4 Astr.p. 528,44.
a screenshot of a couple of scanned pages, all not readable, from the book "Anzaygung grüntlicher || natürlicher vrsachen der natur..." (1531), nowadays in München, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek -- Res/4 Astr.p. 528,44.
Sometimes, the devil is in the details. When scanning this book from 1531, something went wrong badly. Not one page is complete, only nonsense scans. This is #bookhistory too. A story of mistakes and #digitization gone wrong.
High quality doodles at the end of this 13 c. manuscript from Piacenza (London, British Library, Harley 3678). Here is a fine example of medieval good boi to help go through your Monday.
Munby Fellowship in Bibliography based @theul.bsky.social in Cambridge - closes on 1 February, so still time to apply.
This 👀:
I run a class on late-medieval political satire and this ⬇️ is going straight in there. Visual literacy has always been important and using animals in images to underscore the abuses of the world is perennial...
Just back in Cambridge and glad to see that certain things don't change 🍂🦆
5. I was only supposed to check a manuscript in Ker’s catalogue. Instead, the unexpected presence of the letter drew me into Neil Ker’s and John Pope’s intimate world, sharing with them their story of grief, love, and friendship. This is also why we study history.
4. The event left a deep mark. To honour the memory of his wife, John Pope gifted to Yale University this delicate portrait of a “Woman Standing with Hands Behind her Head" by American artist Arthur B. Davies (1862-1928).
3. The letter is Neil Ker's heartfelt response upon receiving the news of Jean Werner Pope's death in 1971, the beloved wife of John Pope. The news came as “a bit of a bombshell” to Neil Ker, something for which “we can’t be really prepared”.
2. This copy of Neil Ker’s Catalogue of the Manuscripts containing Anglo-Saxon, which I found at PIMS Medieval Library, contained an autograph letter written by Neil Ker on 31 March 1971 to the great American historian of early medieval England John Collins Pope (1904-1997).
Sometimes, when browsing through a good library, the books you are looking for may have a history of their own or can contain fragments of tangential stories, often intimate ones. A brief 🧵