Tag: European History
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Book Review: “River Kings” by Cat Jarman

I like to keep ideas fresh on Just History Posts, and for a while I have toyed with the idea of writing book reviews. As I write history books myself, I read lots of snippets of books and articles for my work, which means for a while now I haven’t actually read many history books…
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The Queen and the Mistress

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter then you may have caught wind that I have spent the last few years writing another book. Today I am really excited to make my formal announcement of it! Coming November 2022 (April 2023 if you are in the US) is my second non-fiction history book, The…
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Historical Objects: The Hereford Mappa Mundi

Here at Just History Posts I love sharing a plethora of incredible historical objects, and the Hereford Mappa Mundi is a true marvel to behold. It has been described as being “without parallel the most important and most celebrated medieval map in any form, the most remarkable illustrated English manuscript of any kind”. So why…
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A Brief Moment of History: The WWII Submarine Reindeer

If you were asked to think of the year 1941 in European history, you would probably be picturing the midst of the Second World War, with images of the Blitz, the front line, and soldiers. What you are most likely not picturing is a reindeer living on a submarine. But this was in fact the…
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Anthony Woodville, William Caxton and Early Printing in England

Today we have another fabulous guest post! Today’s writer is Danielle Burton, a history blogger who also works as a project archive assistant at the Derbyshire Record Office. She has a degree in History and an MA in Public History and Heritage. She has a special interest in Anthony Woodville, of whom she is currently…
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The Malleus Maleficarum: The Hammer of Witches

The Early Modern witch hunts that so characterise our modern knowledge of Europe and the American Colonies, particularly in the 17th century, have captured the popular imagination for centuries. Infamous trials like that at Salem continue to lure our attention today, and our obsession with witchcraft and magic still permeates our literature, films, and television…
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A Brief History of Oktoberfest

210 years ago on the 12th October 1810 the very first Oktoberfest was held. Known across the world today as a German beer-drinking holiday, many do not know how old the festival is. So where did it originate from? In 1810, Bavaria, within modern-day Germany, was ruled by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. Maximilian had…
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Ancient Wonders: The Colossus of Rhodes

So far in the Ancient Wonders series we have looked at The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Colosseum, Stonehenge and the Great Wall of China. We now return to the original list of the Seven Wonders of the World, compiled in the 2nd century BC, by investigating the Colossus of Rhodes. The Colossus has captured…
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Monthly Round-Up: History in the News, July 2020

Although much of the world has been in lockdown for several months now, there have still been many exciting discoveries in the fields of history and archaeology that have been announced. Just this month new archaeological sites have been found and research has changed our knowledge of things we thought we previously knew. So here…
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Mythical Creatures: The Headless Blemmyes

Although people living in medieval Europe knew a lot more of the wider world than many initially think, with strong trade links in Asia and northern Africa, they were still intrigued about what lay beyond the land known to man, and stories of mythical creatures abounded. One such creature which fascinated for centuries was the…