Looking across the Presbytery crossing vaults at Salisbury Cathedral from the clerestory. The scissor arches are older than those at Wells Cathedral and may well have been the inspiration for them. On the roof can be seen the 'ghosts' of the original C13 murals and their C19 update.

A month (and a day!) ago, my debut book, "Elizabeth Boleyn: The Life of the Queen's Mother" was published! The positive reviews so far have been amazing. I still can't believe Elizabeth's story is out in the world. It was a joy to get to know her, and a privilege to tell her story.

Henry's penchant for lampreys and his subsequent death led to a civil war known as The Anarchy, which lasted for almost 2 decades, where England nearly saw its first Queen Regnant, over 400 years before Mary I: justhistoryposts.com/2017/06/19/t... #medieval #history

My latest newsletter is up, and this month I share my thoughts about how historians compile history, and whether it's possible to ever reach an object truth about what happened in the past. Make sure to take a read for free: justhistoryposts.substack.com/p/compiling-... #history #newsletter

Re-reading my second book, The Queen and the Mistress, in advance of a new version, and just hit the point where Queen Philippa of Hainault is exactly my age and pregnant with her 10th child. Once again struck by the gulf in experience between me and women past (and elsewhere today)

Highly enjoyed tonight's @royalhistsoc.org anniversary lecture Visible | Invisible: Voices of Women in Early Modern Ireland by Professor Jane Ohlmeyer, but really struck by this early slide in the presentation. Silences are everywhere in historical data and writing #Skystorians

Boy bitten by a crawfish, drawn by Sofonisba Anguissola. Her proud father sent this to Michelangelo to show what a talented daughter he had. Michelangelo agreed! Today is her day.

🌟New Post!🌟 Today I chat with Second World War historian and author Victoria Panton Bacon about her new children's book, Their Second World War. In time for Remembrance Day, it's important to reflect: how can we present these stories for a young generation? #history #WWII #ChildrensBooks

The absolutely stunning Tiddy House in Exeter, Devon, England, possibly built in the late 16th century. A 4-storey brick and timber-framed house with slate tile roof, it is wonderfully wonky and was lovingly restored to glory by Bill Lovell, who bought the severely disrepaired building in the 1960s

#OTD 1966 • Aberfan Disaster 🥀 On Friday the 21st of October 1966, a wave of coal waste slid down the Aberfan Valley, taking the lives of 116 children and 28 adults with it. #Wales #History

The urn and gold oak wreath of Alexander IV, made in Greece c310 BC. Alexander IV was the son of Alexander the Great, king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. Born after his father had died, a series of regents ruled whilst he grew up but he was assassinated when he came of age at 14 🧵 #history

Newsletter out now! This month I had to focus on the 9 year celebration of Just History Posts. It's so interesting to look at how far the blog has come this year in comparison to last year. Make sure to take a read for free now! justhistoryposts.substack.com/p/9-years-of... #history #blogs

🌟New Post!🌟 Today we have guest Talia on the blog, exploring the centuries-long origin of the Hundred Years War between England and France. Why did these two countries fight for so long? Where did it all start? #history #medieval

Items frozen in time hit me differently. This is a tub of Ancient Roman cosmetic cream, made around 150AD, found in London during excavations in 2003. It was found in a Roman temple alongside other ritual items as an offering to the gods in the boundary ditch 🧵 #history

I'm at that stage of writing where I misread "water side" in Froissart and thought for a second that during the Peasants' Revolt they had put a passed-out Princess Joan down a waterslide... It may be time for a break!!

Don't just buy the newest books. All your favourite authors have excellent back catalogues of works they spent years on. Make sure you pick up those as well (and even better, they tend to be cheaper paperbacks by this point). Older history has value too.

On Wednesdays, we wear pink 💅 This is the beautiful Chesme Church, Saint Petersburg, Russia, build in the 1770s at the instigation of Catherine the Great. It was intended to serve as a memorial to the Russian victory over the Turks at the Battle of Chesme #history

🌟New Post!🌟 Today, guest author Catherine Williams speaks to us about the position of White women in the Early Modern American South. These women held unique positions of power and authority through their scarcity and through the slaves that they owned and managed #history #EarlyModern

🌟New Post!🌟 Today, guest author Catherine Williams speaks to us about the position of White women in the Early Modern American South. These women held unique positions of power and authority through their scarcity and through the slaves that they owned and managed #history #EarlyModern

Hey authors, don't forget to check if your works are eligible for claiming on the Anthropic class action settlement! Don't let these companies get away with theft 🙌 www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com?_gl=1*558l4m.... #Skystorians #historians #authors

It's fashion, dahhling ✨ This 4th century mosaic from the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily, shows female athletes, some of whom are wearing outfits similar to our modern-day bikinis. The women are shown competing in a variety of sports, including weight-lifting, discus, running & ball games #history

Wow, what a stunning find!! #medieval

The value of cloth was such, in the past, that recycling was a regular feature of sartorial life. Silk brocade worn in the 18th century has been completely repurposed here to fit the fashionable silhouette of the #1820s, too precious not to reuse #nasjonalmuseet #FashionHistory 🗃️🪡

Today is Just History Posts' 9th birthday! I can't believe it's been almost a decade of writing history. What began as a post-university passion project led to my author career and meeting countless amazing historians. So happy birthday to us 🎈💖 justhistoryposts.com #HistoryBlogs

Today, 30th September, is the feast day of St Jerome. The church at Llangwm Uchaf in Monmouthshire is dedicated to this fascinating historically important saint. 1/6 All images © Lily Watts

Self-portrait, Michaelina Wautier, 1649/50. ( Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) Today a major exhibition of her work opens in Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches museum.

In this month's newsletter I'm having a chat about the Archives and Records Association Conference, Pontefract Castle, Victorian electric fashion, heritage vandalism, jewellery auctions and Nazi-stolen paintings. Phew! Have a read: justhistoryposts.substack.com/p/electricit... #history #newsletters

A tale as old as time: 🟣 “This at once played into fears that men were less than they should be, that they required help, and that rather than go to a doctor for advice lest their inadequacies become known, they should purchase a product from a private company who would keep their secrets instead.”

🌟New post!🌟 The 19th century saw an electricity craze hit, with countless companies harnessing it to sell products. Fashion soon caught on, with electric corsets and belts designed for women and men proclaiming to cure any ailment. But where did this obsession come from? #FashionHistory #history

Look what we have here then.

🌟New post!🌟 The 19th century saw an electricity craze hit, with countless companies harnessing it to sell products. Fashion soon caught on, with electric corsets and belts designed for women and men proclaiming to cure any ailment. But where did this obsession come from? #FashionHistory #history

Hi bluesky! Sorry I've been a little quiet, I've been recovering from two conferences in two weeks 😮‍💨 great fun, learnt so much, but it's knackering! I want to connect with more history accounts on here - so please, who are your favourite #skystorians, podcasts, blogs? Please tag them below!

This is amazing 😍 both Joan of Navarre and Eleanor Cobham, women in the English royal family, were accused of using nigromancy against the king this very same century, so this was the exact kind of thing they were allegedly engaging in. Find out more about them in my book, Royal Witches!

Hi bluesky! Sorry I've been a little quiet, I've been recovering from two conferences in two weeks 😮‍💨 great fun, learnt so much, but it's knackering! I want to connect with more history accounts on here - so please, who are your favourite #skystorians, podcasts, blogs? Please tag them below!

Three years today Queen Elizabeth II died. I thought I'd re-share this post I wrote in the wake, exploring her lesser-known life before she became queen, from being thrust into the spotlight as a child, to serving her country during WWII, to choosing a husband: justhistoryposts.com/2022/09/11/e...

Oh I love this 😍 gimme!!

Excited for the first day of the @womenshistnet.bsky.social conference! Such a fantastic line-up of speakers, it's difficult to choose which sessions to attend! #WomensHistory

“In the late 1960s, Dr. Rossiter was working on her Ph.D. at Yale, when a comment from one of her male professors puzzled her. Who, she had asked, were the women in science? There were none, he said. Another professor mumbled something about Marie Curie being the exception.”🙃

Women in the Middle Ages is currently 25% off on both the UK&US Amazon shops! If you want to find out how artwork and artefacts can help us piece together the lives of women in Europe from 1000-1500, then this is for you www.amazon.co.uk/Women-Middle-Ages-Illuminating-Peasants/dp/0789214962 #history

Happy weekend! From c. 3,600 years ago, here’s an ancient Egyptian bead in the form of a curled-up hedgehog! 🦔💙 Blue faience, c. 1985 -1650 BC. National Museum of Scotland www.nms.ac.uk/search-our-c... 📷 by me #Archaeology

🌟New post!🌟 Pontefract Castle was built in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest as a way to intimidate and subdue the locals. Over the past 1,000 years it's had a colourful and important history as the "Key to the North". Learn about its history and why it was such a significant fortification:

🌟New post!🌟 Pontefract Castle was built in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest as a way to intimidate and subdue the locals. Over the past 1,000 years it's had a colourful and important history as the "Key to the North". Learn about its history and why it was such a significant fortification:

Make sure you check out these funding grants from the Royal Historical Society! #Skystorians #history

If you have published anything, please consider doing this. The window is closing and you should get your details registered now for a chance at a settlement. The form works wherever in the world you are based.

August's newsletter is now live! I chat in depth about my recent visit to Sutton Hoo, we revisit the latest blog post about jewellery through history, and I regale you with just how much history is going on in my life at the moment! justhistoryposts.substack.com/p/a-summer-o... #Skystorians

I've heard of this project before but this is such a fantastic read. Living history like this is invaluable, and it's also just fun. Maybe one day I'll get to visit!

Royal Witches by @gemmahauthor.bsky.social, HOWEVER it was the audiobook and part of what I really enjoyed is that like clockwork every 4-5 sentences would come a very British sounding “HOWEVER” as the narrator then explained that was in fact not quite what would happen next.

Why not take a chance on my #debutnovel #towerofvengenace available online and to order from all good bookshops and libraries! This gripping and haunting read reimagines the story of Maude de Mandeville - a murdered woman who seeks revenge for her death on King John & his family.

This gorgeous little chapel is the Church of the Good Shepherd, Lullington, England, and was built in the early 13th century. Measuring just 5 metres square it can only seat 20 people. Today, it is the smallest church in Sussex and is one of the smallest churches in the country. I want to visit!

This incredibly fragile glass perfume container is made from carefully blown glass & dates to the 1st or 2nd century AD. Found in Begram, Afghanistan, an important trading city of the Kushan Empire, it is thought to have been imported from Roman Alexandria. Held at the National Museum of Afghanistan