Gawain's Mum
@gawainsmum.bsky.social
360 followers 320 following 320 posts
I'm Helen J. Nicholson, and I really do have a son named Gawain. I'm also a medieval historian, best known for publications on Templars and Hospitallers; and emerita professor at a UK University.
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gawainsmum.bsky.social
It was a lovely occasion! Wonderful to see so many colleagues and friends in the room and online, and to have that volume in my hands at last! Thanks to @jembenham.bsky.social , @webstermedieval.bsky.social , @andrewdbuck.bsky.social , and everyone who helped to organise the evening.
jembenham.bsky.social
Fantastic celebration of @gawainsmum.bsky.social festschrift. Lovely to see so many colleagues and students current and past, which speaks to Helen's contribution as a scholar, colleague, and friend. @webstermedieval.bsky.social
gawainsmum.bsky.social
Travelling home from North Wales today, we paused at Llanidloes for lunch and went to look at the Severn/Hafren (Latin: Sabrina), which is a young river here -- with a modern imagining of Sabrina:
A wooden carving of a tall, slim young woman in medieval-style clothing (long hair swept back, long flared dress with long flared sleeves), carved from a tree stump, standing on grass with trees and a house behind her. A river flows across the picture from front left to back centre, crossed by with a two-arched stone bridge. to the right is the grass of a park, with a tarmac path running beside the river, lined by lime trees to the right and a railing between path and river on the left.
Reposted by Gawain's Mum
bishopsgateinst.bsky.social
Somewhere free, quiet, and right next to Liverpool Street? 👀

Whether you’ve got a deadline looming, are polishing off a chapter on your lunch break, or hunting for a calm spot to do some work, our new Reading Room is open to you.

👋 https://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/whats-on/activity/reading-room/
Reading Room | Bishopsgate Institute
The Reading Room is separate to the Researchers’ Service, so if you’d like to look at our special collections and archives, you’ll need this instead https:
www.bishopsgate.org.uk
Reposted by Gawain's Mum
royalstudies.bsky.social
New podcast episode! @ewoodacre.bsky.social interviews Professor Nwando Achebe and Lydia Amoah, discussing the distinctive features of African queenship, including :

royal women from across African history from ancient Egypt and Kush to the recent death of the Asantehemaa in Ghana.
gawainsmum.bsky.social
Delighted to receive a copy of the latest volume from Brepols' 'Outremer' series!
Cover of the book 'Medieval Livonia: History, Society and Economy of a Territory on the Baltic Frontier', ed. Anti Selart and Alan V. Murray, published by Brepols of Turnholt, 2025. Copyright page and first page of the contents of the book 'Medieval Livonia: History, Society and Economy of a Territory on the Baltic Frontier', ed. Anti Selart and Alan V. Murray, published by Brepols of Turnholt, 2025. Second page of the contents and first page of the maps and illustrations in the book 'Medieval Livonia: History, Society and Economy of a Territory on the Baltic Frontier', ed. Anti Selart and Alan V. Murray, published by Brepols of Turnholt, 2025.
gawainsmum.bsky.social
A perfect autumn day for the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway's 'Railway 200' event today. And as a bonus, the now privately-owned station at Gotherington Halt was open to visitors.
Reposted by Gawain's Mum
krebsverena.bsky.social
"Something happened in Northeast Africa in the early thirteenth century.

It was swift, violent, destructive, and perpetrated by non-Muslims.

It might have been accompanied by an outbreak of disease; it might have had apocalyptic overtones; it might have been several events rolled into one."
Screenshot of the article abstract: The Tatars of the Sūdān: Race, Place, and Power in Ibn Saʿīd’s Geography HannaH Barker Arizona State University Abstract Scholars in the medieval Islamicate world occasionally compared peoples of the far south and the far north, referencing their barbarity to illustrate the effects of extreme climate on human bodies and societies. This article discusses a specific north-south comparison: the portrayal of the Damādim as “the Tatars of the Sūdān,” introduced by Ibn Saʿīd al-Maghribī in his thirteenth-century geography. He used it to connect the Chinggisid devastation of Khwarazm in the thirteenth century with the Damādim’s devastation of the Nūba and the Ḥabasha in Northeast Africa. Analyzing this comparison in a historical and discursive context tells us little about the Tatars, Northeast Africa, or the Damādim. Instead it reveals Ibn Saʿīd’s work as a racemaker. His comparison emerged in a historically specific moment: it was shaped by the imposition of Tatar rule in the Islamicate East and the constructs of the intellectual community in which he participated. The fact that Ibn Saʿīd invented entirely new content for the term “Damādim” and that this came to be adopted by his peers illustrates how racial stereotypes could change. Finally, the comparison reveals the power dynamics of racialization, as Tatars and Turks holding power in the Islamicate world could intervene in Islamicate racial discourse in a way that Black Africans could not.
gawainsmum.bsky.social
Yep, a physical card -- particularly if it incorporated the driving licence and the passport -- would be far preferable. There are soooo many problems with an app-based model.
gawainsmum.bsky.social
Calling researchers on the Knights Hospitaller! Coming up next week online from the Hospitaller Research Forum: (www.um.edu.mt/maks/las/our...)
Reposted by Gawain's Mum
patrickmcdonagh98.bsky.social
An excellent talk well worth listening to given by Dr Paul Dryburgh, Medieval Records Specialist at The National Archives (UK), on the history of the medieval English colony in Ireland and the surviving documentary record:

vimeo.com/event/510578...
England's first colony: medieval Ireland, 1171-1500
In May 1487, a coronation was held in Christ Church Cathedral Dublin. The young child was hailed as King Edward VI. Those who pressed his claim, soon raised an army…
vimeo.com
Reposted by Gawain's Mum
tyguson.bsky.social
There are only 4 more days to submit an abstract for our #IMC2026 panel on practice-based/experiential research in medieval studies.
We would love for this session to facilitate some interdisciplinary conversations, so please do get in touch with your ideas.
#Medievalsky
tyguson.bsky.social
Call for Papers @imc-leeds.bsky.social

Following my recent fieldwork sailing down the Seine in a reconstructed tenth-century ship, @stevedehailes.bsky.social and I are organising a panel on practice-based/experiential research in medieval studies. We welcome abstracts from any field. #Medievalsky
Reposted by Gawain's Mum
harvardmedieval.bsky.social
Join us @ the #medievalseminar next Monday, as we welcome @lauramorreale.bsky.social for a talk on the fascinating "Image du Monde" and its digital afterlives! 9/29, 5:30p, Barker 133. @digitalmedievalist.bsky.social @medievalacademy.bsky.social
Reposted by Gawain's Mum
gabpassabi.bsky.social
The much-anticipated news is now here. I am very excited to announce that my book, soon out with York Medieval Press, is now available for pre-order! Hats off to @boydellandbrewer.bsky.social and the awesome Mont-Saint-Michel design team for the cover!

boydellandbrewer.com/book/robert-...
Reposted by Gawain's Mum
britishlibrary.bsky.social
Are you an early career researcher with an interest in our collection? Apply to develop an independent research project funded by AHRC.

Hear more about the opportunity at a virtual town hall event on Monday 6 October: bit.ly/BL-EarlyCare...
A group of students sat at a table examining documents and books from the Library's collection.
gawainsmum.bsky.social
I'm very much looking forward to seeing this!
Reposted by Gawain's Mum
lollardfish.bsky.social
My department is hiring an associate/full professor of Early Modern/Modern Jewish History. Please apply and please share within your networks. I have been told to say we're very interested in the early early modern.

Note: I am not involved in the search but am happy to answer general questions.
Tenured Associate/Full Professor in History, Deinard Chair in Early Modern/Modern Jewish History in Minneapolis, MN for University of Minnesota
Exciting opportunity in Minneapolis, MN for University of Minnesota as a Tenured Associate/Full P...
careers.historians.org
gawainsmum.bsky.social
A lovely image of Oldbury Nuclear Power Station yesterday afternoon, from the other side of the Severn Estuary. The Power Station is hidden behind the tree in the centre of the picture.
gawainsmum.bsky.social
Call for paper and session proposals for the 11th quadrennial conference of the Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin East (Porto, 29 June-3 July 2026). Speakers must be members of the Society. Deadline: 15 Nov 2025. 11th-sscle-conference-porto-2026.mozellosite.com/call-for-pap...
11th SSCLE Conference Porto 2026 - CALL FOR PAPERS
11th-sscle-conference-porto-2026.mozellosite.com
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drsalspong.bsky.social
This #medieval #skystorian got very excited when spying this in Troyes cathedral. #medievalMonday #memorialsMonday 📷 my own. For more info on the Counts of Champagne check out the work of Theodore Evergates
A memorial stone to Theobald III (Thibaut) count of Champagne 1179-1201. The stone is black with white-highlighted lettering, and is hung on a pale stone wall in a chapel inside Troyes cathedral. The stone explains that Theobald's body was moved into the cathedral from St Stephen's church on 17 Feb 1792.
gawainsmum.bsky.social
I'm looking forward to reading it! Many thanks to the editors and contributors (makes respectful bow of thanks)
alice from alice in wonderland is wearing a blue dress
ALT: alice from alice in wonderland is wearing a blue dress
media.tenor.com