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gemmahauthor.bsky.social
Historian, author, and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Runs the Just History Posts blog. https://lnk.bio/GemmaHAuthor
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🌟New post!🌟 Today on the blog I'm exploring the wonderful Liber Manualis, an instruction book written by a 9th-century Frankish noblewoman for her eldest son. It is an incredible artefact, especially for hearing about Dhuoda's life and thoughts from her own pen. justhistoryposts.com/2025/02/24/h...

submitted 4 days ago • 1 comment

🌟New post!🌟 Today on the blog I'm exploring the wonderful Liber Manualis, an instruction book written by a 9th-century Frankish noblewoman for her eldest son. It is an incredible artefact, especially for hearing about Dhuoda's life and thoughts from her own pen. justhistoryposts.com/2025/02/24/h...

submitted 4 days ago • 1 comment

Today I learned that hobby horses date to at least the 1630s. What a great painting!

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

I love the exquisite detail in this carved cello made in Parma in 1691. It was made by a well-known carver and musician named Domenico Galli for Duke Francesco II d'Este. The duke had learnt violin as a child and had a love for music, being a generous patron of musicians in his lifetime 🧵

submitted 7 days ago • 3 comments

Being Valentine's Day, I had to share the wonder of Victorian Cobweb Valentine's cards. Created by carefully cutting paper, an image on the top could be lifted up to reveal another image or hidden message below, seen through a 'cobweb' concertina. 👇 John Johnson Collection, Bodleian Library

submitted 14 days ago • 1 comment

The Queen and the Mistress is currently a whopping 27% off on Amazon! In a world where man is King, can women really have it all - and keep it? Learn about two incredible women who navigated the tumultuous 14th-century English court 📚 www.amazon.co.uk/Queen-Mistress-Women-Edward-III/dp/0750993693/

submitted 19 days ago • 0 comments

73 years ago today, George VI died making his daughter Queen Elizabeth II. She was Britain’s longest-lived and longest-reigning monarch, and the longest serving female head of state in the world, but her life before becoming queen is not always as well known: justhistoryposts.com/2022/09/11/e...

submitted 22 days ago • 0 comments

Here's a little octopus to brighten your day. This mosaic was made between 101-300 AD and was discovered in Villaquejida, León, Spain. Originally part of a Roman villa, this fragment measures 50cm by 43.5cm. It is held today at the Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid.

submitted 23 days ago • 2 comments

My latest newsletter is up! This month I chat about my visit to the Mary Rose Museum, and catch up on some historical news, including digitisation, historic wills, and Viking hoards. Check it out! justhistoryposts.substack.com/p/new-year-n... #history

submitted 27 days ago • 0 comments

Giving a Zoom talk tomorrow about Royal Witches, so as it's been a while I thought I'd read through it this evening to refresh my mind. Finding myself getting engrossed by something I wrote, which is always a giddy feeling! Like, well done past me 😂

submitted 28 days ago • 0 comments

Amazon may not have theirs yet, but copies Scotland's Medieval Queens are printed and waiting for their forever homes. You can order direct from Pen and Sword: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Scotlands-Me...

submitted 29 days ago • 0 comments

Studying, researching or teaching histories of Britain or Ireland ? Try using the Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH), it contains 650,000+ resources from 55 BCE to today

submitted 39 days ago • 2 comments

Yesterday I had a chat with Adelaide from Bored Panda about why I love history and how I think social media has helped make history more accessible, in collaboration with their exploration of the History Cool Kids Instagram - www.boredpanda.com/interesting-history-pics-historycoolkids/

submitted 29 days ago • 1 comment

Spent several hours today at the Mary Rose Museum and - just, wow. Absolutely one of the best museum experiences. So incredibly special to see the ship and the preserved artefacts. Just wonderful in the full sense of the word. #Tudors

submitted 30 days ago • 1 comment

Another favourite from the British Library exhibition was this prayer book of Joanna of Castile, but in particular the accompanying sign. It's so wonderful to see historical interpretation in an exhibition rather than simple object description.

submitted 35 days ago • 2 comments

A great item at the British Library exhibition was this beautiful manuscript page decorated by Jeanne de Montbaston. Jeanne was an early 14th century Parisian illuminator who worked in partnership with her husband and as a solo artist. We only know her name because she outlived him -

submitted 38 days ago • 1 comment

I was invited onto Betwixt the Sheets to have a lovely chat with @k8lister.bsky.social about medieval lesbians!! The episode is now live - tune in for sex, romance, medieval straps and more (shows.acast.com/betwixt-the-...)

submitted 42 days ago • 8 comments