We lost Rosamond McKitterick, a great scholar, a great teacher, and a great human being, far too early. This has been hard to write, but thinking about her, who she was and the person she chose to be can never bring me anything but joy. #medievalsky salutemmundo.wordpress.com/2026/06/15/a...

A Scholarly and a Moral Education: Remembering Rosamond McKitterick

Photo of Rosamond McKitterick, taken by the author on 1 February 2020 overlooking the Forum at Rome. Rosamond McKitterick died on Saturday 13th June 2026. As a sentence, that’s easy to write and im…

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In the wake of Rosamond McKitterick's death, on the blog @samottewillsoulsby.bsky.social remembers her as a teacher and a mentor: salutemmundo.wordpress.com/2026/06/15/a...

A Scholarly and a Moral Education: Remembering Rosamond McKitterick

Photo of Rosamond McKitterick, taken by the author on 1 February 2020 overlooking the Forum at Rome. Rosamond McKitterick died on Saturday 13th June 2026. As a sentence, that’s easy to write and im…

salutemmundo.wordpress.com

Rosamond McKitterick, my doctoral supervisor, has died. It is deeply unfair that someone so healthy should have been taken before her due time. But although I am sad, it is heartening to to think not just about the legacy left by her body of work...

OK, don't know how this is going to sound, but I promise it's because I'm basic, not egotistical: I am doing a first re-read of the initial draft of a major chunk of my book, and I keep getting distracted, not because my prose is so inspiring or anything, but because c10th history is so interesting!

Y'know what'd be useful? (And might exist, IDK) A list of lay authors of the earlier Middle Ages. Said b/c I'm rn comparing Fulk le Réchin and William IX (so right at the end of the earlier MA admittedly) and thought 'hang on, two lay rulers writing within decades of each other? That's weird!'

New article in print courtesy of @frenchhistory.bsky.social. It's on succession and civil war in Burgundy around the year 1000, and it was probably the single article I've most enjoyed writing: salutemmundo.wordpress.com/2026/04/30/n...

Name in Print XIX

Those of you who have been following the blog for a few years might remember about eighteen months ago, when I posted something saying that the general understanding of the succession crisis after …

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One of the main disadvantages of my dog ownership is that my mongrel, who is the best girl, has aged so much less over the last six years than we have.

More progress on this. Thanks to @graemeyward.bsky.social, I've been able to see BNF Moreau 16, the charter of 996 with Bishop Fredelo in it. And the dating clause is pretty unambiguous! The charter is dated "the year when King Robert of the Franks began to rule in Francia".

Fraser McNair@ralphtorta.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Today's mystery is the anti-bishop of Elne. Elne is a see on the Spanish March, and in 994, its bishop, Fredelo, showed up at the Council of Saint-Paulien hosted by Bishop Guy of Le Puy. salutemmundo.wordpress.com/2024/04/16/c... Only problem is, at the time he wasn't bishop of Elne.

Annoyed again at Bernard Bachrach. No, William of Malmesbury did not describe Fulk Nerra performing a _calcatio colli_ Bachrach: Fulk *places foot on neck* "now art thou vanquished" What William actually says: Fulk, kicking the shit out of his son, "bet you're beaten now, boy, huh? huh?'

So I've noticed that Post-Carolingian (West Frankish*) authors will present groups of subjects of non-royal rulers as having capacity for autonomous action (e.g. "the English rebelled" as opposed to "a bunch of people rebelled") when they can be seen in terms of ethnic identities...

After the last couple of days of mysteries, here's one I cleared up recently. A couple of years ago, I posted about a notice from Saint-Martin in Tours. In this notice, Count Fulk of Anjou invaded Saint-Martin, in response to which the canons humiliated their relics...

Today's mystery is the anti-bishop of Elne. Elne is a see on the Spanish March, and in 994, its bishop, Fredelo, showed up at the Council of Saint-Paulien hosted by Bishop Guy of Le Puy. salutemmundo.wordpress.com/2024/04/16/c... Only problem is, at the time he wasn't bishop of Elne.

Charter A Week 112: Getting Closer to the Peace of God

Man, this takes me back. The last time I thought a lot about the Peace of God, it was 2018, the UK was still in the EU, nobody knew what a COVID was, I was living in Tübingen (for the first time), …

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Here's something odd. Count Geoffrey Martel of Anjou (r. 1040-1060) founded two major abbeys, Sainte-Trinité in Vendôme (1040) and Notre-Dame in Saintes (1047). It's generally recognised that the foundation documents of both these institutions are closely textually...

Starting off a new year on the blog by tackling a big question longhairedkingsblog.wordpress.com/2026/01/23/w...

Was Frisia Conquered in 785?

One of the big questions around the history of early medieval Frisia is when the region was conquered by the Franks.[1] Or at least, that’s one of the big questions for me. It’s not a question anyo…

longhairedkingsblog.wordpress.com

This week on the blog, @samottewillsoulsby.bsky.social examines the relationship between the Pirenne Thesis and Isaac Asimov's _Foundation_ trilogy: salutemmundo.wordpress.com/2026/01/22/a...

Asimov and Pirenne

Spoilers for the first three Foundation books below. And the Pirenne thesis, I guess. Exactly when and how Isaac Asimov (c.1920-1992) encountered Henri Pirenne (1862-1935) is unknown. That the Amer…

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An incredibly tragic loss. Sincerest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. #MedievalSky www.spc.ox.ac.uk/news/in-memo...

In memoriam: Prof Stephen Baxter (1969-2026)

It is with deep sadness that the Master and Fellows of St Peter’s College share news of the death of Professor Stephen Baxter.

spc.ox.ac.uk

Long shot, I know, but does anyone have a reproduction or transcription of BNF MS Doat 126, ff 32r-47v (three pieces concerning the foundation of the priory of Fons)?

Pleased to announce my latest article is in print, courtesy of the fine people at _Reading Medieval Studies_! It's an analysis of two of the canonical texts from the time of Hugh Capet's accession, and why they are not all that they seem... salutemmundo.wordpress.com/2025/12/20/n...

Name in Print XVIII

Some articles are not written from the most noble of motives. When dealing with the accession of the Capetians, there are a few old chestnuts which, simply, get on my nerves. I have already complai…

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Wasn't Carly Rae Jensen's _E•MO•TION_ the latter?

Neville Morley@nevillemorley.eurosky.social · 8mo ago

Being “of the same nature as” rather than “of like nature to” mainstream pop…

I saw the IMC paper this was based on and spoke to Simon afterwards. Sadly any discussion of the charter material was clearly cut for length, but his argument that the Astronomer was Rodulf of Bourges also finds purchase in Aquitanian dating clauses: salutemmundo.wordpress.com/2018/11/28/p...

Political Dating in Ninth-Century Aquitanian Private Charters

So I discovered something really cool but also quite frustrating, not least because although it’s been noticed by a few people before as far as I can tell I’m the only one whose ever thought it not…

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Charles West@pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Enmeshed in marking, but just thought I'd point out that this article is now out, open access: Simon MacLean, arguing that the Astronomer's Life of Louis the Pious could be rather later than historians have assumed: might 'the Astronomer' be Jonas of Orleans? onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

New Name In Print post on the blog: my latest article is an important study of tenth-century Normandy and the micropolities it came from; but shepherding it into print was a bit of a weird time: salutemmundo.wordpress.com/2025/12/03/n...

Name in Print XVII

This one is a little late to the party, although in my defence that’s because it’s one of the oddest publication experiences I’ve ever had. Still, I am pleased to announce that my…

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Late-period Bruce Springsteen is best Bruce Springsteen. Specifically, 'Devil's Arcade' may be his best song.

Explaining Richard the Justiciar: "He broke a lot of norms, also bishops"

Can anyone help me out with an opinion about the date of this hand from Vat. Reg. Lat. 755, fol. 13v?

My blog post with the ADAM network has now been published. It's about precarity, the future of small subjects, and communal approaches to academic work. I hope it will resonate with some. #IchBinHanna #KleineFaecher #SkandiRetten difficultmedieval.com/2025/10/23/h...

Hard Times and Trial Approaches: Old Norse-Icelandic Studies Between Precarity and the Future

Dr Rebecca Merkelbach reflects on her keynote speech at the most recent Saga Conference. Held every three years, Saga Con is the most important meeting of Old Norse scholars, bringing together acad…

difficultmedieval.com

Turn Down For Wat

Almost 2 weeks in East Asia and I have yet to see a single "Nett her" sticker. The Baden-Würrtembergers need to step up their game...

Entirely accurate, but Contributor 1's comments made me think of something bothering me lately, and that's: God help you finding other work if you _are_ one of those people whose been sinking to the bottom of the academic demi-monde for ten years after your PhD: frenchhistorysociety.co.uk/6691/

Update on the blog status: I am going on hiatus. There will still be posts from Sam, but not from me for the indefinite future. salutemmundo.wordpress.com/2025/09/11/h...

Hiatus (FM)

Since the beginning of June, I have managed to publish one main-line blog post. In that time, there have been four Charter A Week posts, but I wasn’t happy with at least a couple of them. And…

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This week on the blog, I discuss whether the Normans were vikings. salutemmundo.wordpress.com/2025/07/31/w...

Were the Normans Vikings?

No. Well, fine, I suppose given I have compelled others to elaborate in similar situations I should put a bit more here. The Bayeux Tapestry is coming to the UK from Autumn next year, and with the …

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