Tag: history
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Mythical Creatures: Medieval Unicorns in Europe
Today we return to an old favourite series of mine, looking at the history of mythical creatures. In recent years, the unicorn has experienced a true revival, representing both LGBTQ+ communities and becoming a fan favourite of young children. But the unicorn was just as popular in medieval Europe, appearing countless times in artwork and…
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A Brief Moment of History: Humanity’s Worst Year Ever?
Ask anyone on the street when they think the worst year in human history was, and I’m sure there’d be quite a variety of answers offered. Years during the World Wars; when the Black Death swept Europe; or even more recent events like during the Covid pandemic. War and disease are probably the most significant…
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Sacred Baroque: The Catholic Counter-Reformation and its influence on Art
Many of us are aware of the Reformation, and how it completely changed the landscape of Europe across the 16th century and beyond. But not so many are aware of the Catholic Church’s response to the Reformation, and how it tried to reform the Church and lure people back to Catholicism, whilst re-asserting its identity…
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What Was A Court Jester In The Medieval Period?
Today I am pleased to be hosting a guest post written by Darryl King. Darryl is the founder of Jester Planet, a site that is dedicated to being a comprehensive guide to jesters throughout history. Writing under the pen name D.E. King, he is also the author of the In All Jest series. The epic…
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Book Review: “Lionessheart” by Catherine Hanley
Today, I’m really excited to be writing a book review of the upcoming Lionessheart by historian Catherine Hanley. The topic of the book is the exact type of history I love to read (and write!) and so I couldn’t wait to dive in and share my thoughts with you all. NB, I was sent a…
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Historical Objects: Duchess Dhuoda and the Liber Manualis
Surviving historical artefacts are so interesting to write about because there are so many strands of history they can illuminate for us. It could be teaching us about artwork and design popular in another time period, it can show us the skill of craftsmen from centuries or millennia ago, and in the case of the…
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Just History Posts in 2025
With the start of a new year, and time to reflect over the winter break, I’ve made some decisions about the blog and its future that I thought were worth putting in a blog post. If you follow my newsletter, then you’ll know that in my last post before Christmas I recounted that 2024 was…
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Royal People: Trưng Trắc and the Sisters’ Rebellion
When tracing the lives of women who lived millennia ago, extracting the real history from the subsequent myth and legend can be difficult. This is certainly the case with Trưng Trắc and her sister, Trưng Nhị, two Vietnamese noblewomen who lived in the first century AD. The sisters led a heroic revolt against the Chinese,…
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An Interview With: Emily Murdoch Perkins, Historical Author
I am pleased to host another fantastic interview, with author Emily Murdoch Perkins. Emily Murdoch Perkins is an historian and author with a varied career to date: from medieval manuscripts to researching documentaries to marketing, and now, historical non-fiction. She lives with her supportive husband, eats more cheese than is good for her, and is…
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Women in the Middle Ages
I am really excited to finally reveal the details of my next book! Coming October 2024 (November 2024 for my US followers) is my third history book, Women in the Middle Ages: Illuminating the World of Peasants, Nuns, and Queens. I cannot wait for this beautiful book to be out in the world! Something of…
Just History Posts 