Matteo Millan
@matteomillan.bsky.social
Historian of only the most cheerful subjects, such as fascism, paramilitary, armed associations and most recently guns. PI of the ERC funded project EU-GUNS (@euguns.bsky.social). Full professor at the University of Padova and proud citizen of Arcellatown.
Reposted by Matteo Millan
Dr. @rblakebrown.bsky.social of @historysmu.bsky.social was a visiting professor last month at @unipd.bsky.social in #Italy. His activities included a guest lecture on "Canadian Gun Culture and Firearm Regulation, 1867-1935". @euguns.bsky.social @matteomillan.bsky.social #SMUHistory #artswithimpact
1) On December 15, Prof. Blake Brown (@rblakebrown.bsky.social) from St Mary’s University (Canada) will deliver a guest lecture as part of Prof. Matteo Millan’s course „Politica e violenza in età contemporanea”, entitled „Canadian gun culture and firearm regulation, 1867-1935”.
January 8, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Dr. @rblakebrown.bsky.social of @historysmu.bsky.social was a visiting professor last month at @unipd.bsky.social in #Italy. His activities included a guest lecture on "Canadian Gun Culture and Firearm Regulation, 1867-1935". @euguns.bsky.social @matteomillan.bsky.social #SMUHistory #artswithimpact
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The head of our project, @matteomillan.bsky.social, is now outlining the EU-GUNS project, its goals and lines of research.
#aha2026 #euguns #gunhistory
#aha2026 #euguns #gunhistory
January 9, 2026 at 8:23 PM
The head of our project, @matteomillan.bsky.social, is now outlining the EU-GUNS project, its goals and lines of research.
#aha2026 #euguns #gunhistory
#aha2026 #euguns #gunhistory
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We're back with our series of staff introductions, and @martinjx2.bsky.social is up next! Born and raised in Stockholm, he studied history at the universities of Uppsala, Edinburgh and Gothenburg...
January 22, 2026 at 9:49 AM
We're back with our series of staff introductions, and @martinjx2.bsky.social is up next! Born and raised in Stockholm, he studied history at the universities of Uppsala, Edinburgh and Gothenburg...
Bye Bye Chicago.
January 13, 2026 at 7:42 PM
Bye Bye Chicago.
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📣 #STEXEU is hiring an early-career researcher!
The researcher will join the project team, led by Arturo Zoffmann Rodriguez, and focus on historical research on authoritarianism, states of exception, and the crisis of democracy in #Germany in the years 1900-1939.
👉 ihc.fcsh.unl.pt/en/jr-stexeu...
The researcher will join the project team, led by Arturo Zoffmann Rodriguez, and focus on historical research on authoritarianism, states of exception, and the crisis of democracy in #Germany in the years 1900-1939.
👉 ihc.fcsh.unl.pt/en/jr-stexeu...
Junior Researcher — STEXEU Project — DE | Opportunities | IHC
Call for the recruitment of a Junior Researcher for the STEXEU project — The Constitutional Road to Dictatorship, focusing on the case of Germany.
ihc.fcsh.unl.pt
January 13, 2026 at 5:37 PM
📣 #STEXEU is hiring an early-career researcher!
The researcher will join the project team, led by Arturo Zoffmann Rodriguez, and focus on historical research on authoritarianism, states of exception, and the crisis of democracy in #Germany in the years 1900-1939.
👉 ihc.fcsh.unl.pt/en/jr-stexeu...
The researcher will join the project team, led by Arturo Zoffmann Rodriguez, and focus on historical research on authoritarianism, states of exception, and the crisis of democracy in #Germany in the years 1900-1939.
👉 ihc.fcsh.unl.pt/en/jr-stexeu...
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What a day at the AHA! The EU-GUNS folks put together three outstanding panels on US-Europe gun history. So good!
The 3rd part of our panel, "An Armed Nation Versus a Disarmed Continent? Gun Culture and Gun Control in the USA and Europe", chaired by @drewmckevitt.bsky.social at the annual meeting of @historians.org in Chicago, is going on now.
#aha2026 #euguns #globarms #gunhistory #armshistory
#aha2026 #euguns #globarms #gunhistory #armshistory
January 9, 2026 at 11:53 PM
What a day at the AHA! The EU-GUNS folks put together three outstanding panels on US-Europe gun history. So good!
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EU-GUNS & GlobArms are on the road! We are going to Chicago for the annual meeting of @historians.org, the world’s largest annual gathering of historians, where we will meet new and old colleagues and share our innovative research on the history of European gun cultures, gun control and arms trade.
January 8, 2026 at 6:52 PM
EU-GUNS & GlobArms are on the road! We are going to Chicago for the annual meeting of @historians.org, the world’s largest annual gathering of historians, where we will meet new and old colleagues and share our innovative research on the history of European gun cultures, gun control and arms trade.
Reposted by Matteo Millan
The second day of the workshop "New Perspectives on the History of Firearms" has begun with Prof. @matteomillan.bsky.social's introduction into the ERC EU-GUNS project.
#gunhistory #euguns #globarms #unipd #dissgea
#gunhistory #euguns #globarms #unipd #dissgea
December 19, 2025 at 8:36 AM
The second day of the workshop "New Perspectives on the History of Firearms" has begun with Prof. @matteomillan.bsky.social's introduction into the ERC EU-GUNS project.
#gunhistory #euguns #globarms #unipd #dissgea
#gunhistory #euguns #globarms #unipd #dissgea
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Prof. Sven Reichardt is giving a talk about the use of guns by fascist paramilitaries in Italy and Germany
#gunhistory #euguns #globarms #unipd #dissgea
#gunhistory #euguns #globarms #unipd #dissgea
December 19, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Prof. Sven Reichardt is giving a talk about the use of guns by fascist paramilitaries in Italy and Germany
#gunhistory #euguns #globarms #unipd #dissgea
#gunhistory #euguns #globarms #unipd #dissgea
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@azzab.bsky.social and @matteomillan.bsky.social's conference starts today! @rblakebrown.bsky.social inaugurates the workshop with a microhistorical investigation on a Toronto-based arms retailer.
December 18, 2025 at 9:07 AM
@azzab.bsky.social and @matteomillan.bsky.social's conference starts today! @rblakebrown.bsky.social inaugurates the workshop with a microhistorical investigation on a Toronto-based arms retailer.
Reposted by Matteo Millan
The workshop "New Perspectives on the History of Firearms" begins now! The organisers, @azzab.bsky.social and @matteomillan.bsky.social, have welcomed the audience.
If you're in Padova, feel free to join us at Palazzo Liviano! (Pzza Capitaniato 7)
#gunhistory #globarms #euguns #unipd #dissgeaunipd
If you're in Padova, feel free to join us at Palazzo Liviano! (Pzza Capitaniato 7)
#gunhistory #globarms #euguns #unipd #dissgeaunipd
December 18, 2025 at 9:02 AM
The workshop "New Perspectives on the History of Firearms" begins now! The organisers, @azzab.bsky.social and @matteomillan.bsky.social, have welcomed the audience.
If you're in Padova, feel free to join us at Palazzo Liviano! (Pzza Capitaniato 7)
#gunhistory #globarms #euguns #unipd #dissgeaunipd
If you're in Padova, feel free to join us at Palazzo Liviano! (Pzza Capitaniato 7)
#gunhistory #globarms #euguns #unipd #dissgeaunipd
Reposted by Matteo Millan
@historyned.bsky.social then discussed the role of German arms dealers in shaping the entrepreneurial imperial expansion
December 18, 2025 at 2:31 PM
@historyned.bsky.social then discussed the role of German arms dealers in shaping the entrepreneurial imperial expansion
Domani per chi si trova a Padova
1) On December 15, Prof. Blake Brown (@rblakebrown.bsky.social) from St Mary’s University (Canada) will deliver a guest lecture as part of Prof. Matteo Millan’s course „Politica e violenza in età contemporanea”, entitled „Canadian gun culture and firearm regulation, 1867-1935”.
December 14, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Domani per chi si trova a Padova
Reposted by Matteo Millan
It’s going to be a very busy week for the EU-GUNS and GlobArms projects! We have planned the following two events at @unipd.bsky.social:
December 13, 2025 at 4:49 PM
It’s going to be a very busy week for the EU-GUNS and GlobArms projects! We have planned the following two events at @unipd.bsky.social:
Reposted by Matteo Millan
The Boer War (1899–1902) represented a crucial turning point in the education and leisure culture of the British youth. It encouraged the introduction of rifle shooting in schools and youth associations as well as the spread of miniature rifle clubs...
November 19, 2025 at 11:31 AM
The Boer War (1899–1902) represented a crucial turning point in the education and leisure culture of the British youth. It encouraged the introduction of rifle shooting in schools and youth associations as well as the spread of miniature rifle clubs...
Reposted by Matteo Millan
It's time to introduce our expert on the British gun history, Anna Moro! Anna is a PhD student in History at the University of Padua. #euguns #unipd #dissgea_unipd #dissgea
October 29, 2025 at 4:57 PM
It's time to introduce our expert on the British gun history, Anna Moro! Anna is a PhD student in History at the University of Padua. #euguns #unipd #dissgea_unipd #dissgea
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The EU-GUNS project investigates the second life of military rifles and how this seemingly obsolete hardware shaped the relationship between Europeans and guns for decades. #euguns #eugunssnippets #gunhistory #europeanhistory
September 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
The EU-GUNS project investigates the second life of military rifles and how this seemingly obsolete hardware shaped the relationship between Europeans and guns for decades. #euguns #eugunssnippets #gunhistory #europeanhistory
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Old British Martini-Henry rifles — the weapon that helped conquer the British Empire in the second half of the 19th century — were converted into miniature rifles for training young British boys and for use in indoor shooting galleries.
September 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Old British Martini-Henry rifles — the weapon that helped conquer the British Empire in the second half of the 19th century — were converted into miniature rifles for training young British boys and for use in indoor shooting galleries.
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Major manufacturers as well as artisanal gunsmiths converted French Gras and Italian Vetterli rifles into shotguns that were cheap enough to be affordable to many rural hunters and farmers.
September 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Major manufacturers as well as artisanal gunsmiths converted French Gras and Italian Vetterli rifles into shotguns that were cheap enough to be affordable to many rural hunters and farmers.
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An often overlooked consequence of this was that millions of old-model rifles ended up in military stores. Some were sold to non-European countries or used in colonial wars, but hundreds of thousands ended up on the civilian market.
September 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
An often overlooked consequence of this was that millions of old-model rifles ended up in military stores. Some were sold to non-European countries or used in colonial wars, but hundreds of thousands ended up on the civilian market.
Reposted by Matteo Millan
In the last third of the 19th century, major technological changes transformed the world of small arms. The invention of bolt-action rifles and, more importantly, smokeless powder meant that governments had to adopt new military rifle models to avoid falling behind in the arms race.
September 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
In the last third of the 19th century, major technological changes transformed the world of small arms. The invention of bolt-action rifles and, more importantly, smokeless powder meant that governments had to adopt new military rifle models to avoid falling behind in the arms race.
Reposted by Matteo Millan
The next person from our team we would like to present is Assumpta Castillo Cañiz! She earned her PhD from the University of Padova in 2021 with a dissertation on political violence and armed associations in pre-World War I Europe, as part of the ERC project “The Dark Side of the Belle Époque”.
September 4, 2025 at 12:23 PM
The next person from our team we would like to present is Assumpta Castillo Cañiz! She earned her PhD from the University of Padova in 2021 with a dissertation on political violence and armed associations in pre-World War I Europe, as part of the ERC project “The Dark Side of the Belle Époque”.
Reposted by Matteo Millan
A rifle’s journey often extends far beyond the battlefield it was built for.
This image shows members of the Ulster Volunteer Force in Ireland marching in 1914 amid rising tensions over Home Rule. Among their weapons were likely Vetterli-Vitali rifles... #globarms #unipd #dissgea #europeanhistory
This image shows members of the Ulster Volunteer Force in Ireland marching in 1914 amid rising tensions over Home Rule. Among their weapons were likely Vetterli-Vitali rifles... #globarms #unipd #dissgea #europeanhistory
August 22, 2025 at 8:21 AM
A rifle’s journey often extends far beyond the battlefield it was built for.
This image shows members of the Ulster Volunteer Force in Ireland marching in 1914 amid rising tensions over Home Rule. Among their weapons were likely Vetterli-Vitali rifles... #globarms #unipd #dissgea #europeanhistory
This image shows members of the Ulster Volunteer Force in Ireland marching in 1914 amid rising tensions over Home Rule. Among their weapons were likely Vetterli-Vitali rifles... #globarms #unipd #dissgea #europeanhistory
Reposted by Matteo Millan
Meet our expert on the German gun history, Mathias Foit! He is a graduate of the University of Wrocław, Poland, and the Free University of Berlin, where he defended his doctoral thesis. #euguns #unipd #dissgea_unipd
August 6, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Meet our expert on the German gun history, Mathias Foit! He is a graduate of the University of Wrocław, Poland, and the Free University of Berlin, where he defended his doctoral thesis. #euguns #unipd #dissgea_unipd
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And sometimes, archival research yields surprises! This pistol was manufactured and registered in 1911 by the Basque firm Esperanza y Unceta. Known as the “Victoria,” it is an adapted copy of the popular Browning 1906 model. #euguns #eugunssnippets #unipd #dissgea #spanishhistory
August 1, 2025 at 9:49 AM
And sometimes, archival research yields surprises! This pistol was manufactured and registered in 1911 by the Basque firm Esperanza y Unceta. Known as the “Victoria,” it is an adapted copy of the popular Browning 1906 model. #euguns #eugunssnippets #unipd #dissgea #spanishhistory