Caitlin Ellis
LightNews LightNews
medivalist.bsky.social
Caitlin Ellis
@medivalist.bsky.social
1.9K followers 330 following 57 posts
Associate Professor of Nordic Medieval History, University of Oslo
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
royalhistsoc.org
"Given that the UK needs more graduates with languages qualifications, the task of universities is not to accelerate the decline of language learning but to find ways to bolster their student intakes."
timeshighered.bsky.social Times Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 9d
The universities of Nottingham and Leicester are taking a swing at language departments. But those proposing closures have taken their eye off the ball, say four linguists
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/latest-threat-uk-modern-languages-yet-another-faux-pas
November 14, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
nick-mayhew.bsky.social
Horrified by the proposed closure of Modern Languages @uniofnottingham.bsky.social This would end language higher education in the East Midlands & decimate the uni’s research profile. Shortsighted and reckless. #University_of_Little_England #SaveNottinghamLanguages #WeAreUoN
November 10, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
brianvan.bsky.social
So it turns out... the US air travel system was incredibly, deeply dependent on federal funding to just run day-to-day all this time, to the benefit of private airline shareholders, when everyone thinks that state-run trains are leeching off the government. Weird!
November 9, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
brendelbored.bsky.social
Tech guys six months ago: haha yes we’re cutting all this WASTEFUL spending by eliminating medical research and USAID

Tech guys now: yes I think taxpayers will be excited to bailout my non consensual pornography machine
November 8, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
helengittos.bsky.social
... and Leicester... Languages, History...
It's so easy to destroy, so hard to create. So much talent. So many lives.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
University of Leicester to consult on redundancies
University bosses are also planning to stop a number of courses.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 6, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
ccasnc.bsky.social
Attention Celticists! Scholars of early medieval Britain! Old Norse enthusiasts!
Only three days remaining to submit an abstract for CCASNC 2026: Women and the Weird!
November 7, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
marina-purkiss.bsky.social
A woman is killed by a man every 3 days in the UK...

78% are murdered by a partner/ex

Yet not once have I heard Reform talk about this

Not once have I heard them back measures to protect women’s safety

In fact, they voted against them...
October 31, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
meemalee.bsky.social
Author and filmmaker Justine Bateman on generative AI
"They're trying to convince people they can't do the things they've been doing easily for years - to write emails, to write a presentation. Your daughter wants you to make up a bedtime story about puppies - to write that for you." We will get to the point, she says with a grim laugh, "that you will essentially become just a skin bag of organs and bones, nothing else. You won't know anything and you will be told repeatedly that you can't do it, which is the opposite of what life has to offer. Capitulating all kinds of decisions like where to go on vacation, what to wear today, who to date, what to eat. People are already doing this. You won't have to process grief, because you'll have uploaded photos and voice messages from your mother who just died, and then she can talk to you via AI video call every day. One of the ways it's going to destroy humans, long before there's a nuclear disaster, is going to be the emotional hollowing-out of people." - author and filmmaker Justine Bateman from a piece by Emine Saner for the Guardian
October 4, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
norseincork.bsky.social
Published a short piece in 'The Conversation' about Kash Patel's use of the white-supremacist dog whistle 'see you in Valhalla'. For my uncensored feelings on the subject, please just see the image below.

theconversation.com/see-you-in-v...
October 1, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
historydan1066.bsky.social
A final reminder that the deadline for abstract submissions is the end of next week #medievalsky

Details 👇
historydan1066.bsky.social Dan Armstrong @historydan1066.bsky.social · Jul 1
Michael Staunton and I are running a conference here at UCD in June 2026 on 'The Past, Present, and Future after Conquest: 1066, 1169'.

Details of the Call for Papers below 👇

#medievalsky #Normans @leverhulme.ac.uk

Deadline for the submission of abstracts is the 26th September
Separated by almost exactly a century, England and Ireland were conquered by Norman invaders. The years of conquest, 1066 and 1169, mark major turning points in the national historiographies of England and Ireland, with these invasions leading to the violent imposition of foreign rulers and regimes that altered the very past, present, and future of the British-Irish Isles. The violent subjugation of England and Ireland were part of a wider pattern of expansion and colonisation across eleventh- and twelfth-century Europe, a process in which the Normans played a defining role. This conference aims to consider the Norman conquests of 1066 and 1169 in parallel. Rather than treating these invasions in isolation, we will explore their similarities and differences. It will seek to understand external perspectives on these invasions, beyond England and Ireland, and will encourage comparison with other invasions and conquests of the period. Whilst the conference will examine the immediate impact of these violent and disruptive events, it will also consider how these invasions led to a rethinking of the past. The crisis of these conquests led individuals and institutions to rethink their past, rewriting history to justify their actions and establish their place in a new and uncertain world. Applicants should submit an abstract of no more than 500 words for a 20-minute paper. When submitting a paper proposal, please nominate one or more of the following thematic strands: • Session 1: Rewriting the Past after Conquest • Session 2: Justifications of Conquest and Violence • Session 3: Beyond England and Ireland: The View of 1066 and 1169 from Wales, Scotland, and Continental Europe • Session 4: The Church, the Papacy, and Conquest • Session 5: Society, People, and Cultural Exchange before and after Conquest Paper proposals should be emailed to Dr Dan Armstrong (daniel.armstrong@ucd.ie) AND Professor Michael Staunton (michael.staunton@ucd.ie) by the 26th September 2025
September 16, 2025 at 8:13 AM
medivalist.bsky.social
Here’s my cover story in next month’s BBC History Magazine on ‘1066: Who was the rightful king?’ Out now @historyextra.bsky.social
September 16, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
gregjenner.bsky.social
It’s fascinating how often those who appeal to history are woefully ignorant of history! “Saxon forefathers” is a classic 19th century racial dogwhistle.

Moreover, the “ancient liberties” thing is utter tosh.
roberthutton.co.uk Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · Sep 8
So much weird in here, but hard to disagree that the average Saxon would have recognised policies of sinking vessels you don't like the look of, and imprisoning people who look different.
September 8, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
ccooijmans.bsky.social
Many thanks to everyone who has helped make this possible. Ryan is much missed, and I'm glad the Society is honouring his memory in a way befitting his own ethos of generosity and curiosity.
September 4, 2025 at 3:20 PM
medivalist.bsky.social
My article 'Beyond Clontarf: links between Dublin and the earldom of Orkney' is out in the latest Medieval Dublin volume @fmdmedievaldublin.bsky.social covering political examples up to the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland with a wee bit of trade and archaeology at the end
Front cover of Medieval Dublin XX edited by Seán Duffy Contents page First page of Caitlin's article
September 4, 2025 at 3:41 PM
medivalist.bsky.social
One last #KingAndConqueror grumble - the Godwins kept going on about Alfred in a way that presented themselves as his successor (presumably because of their association with Wessex) when really it was Edward the Confessor who was of Alfred's line
September 4, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
historydan1066.bsky.social
1/20 A thread about the appearance of the ‘Papal Banner’ in episode seven of #KingandConqueror. In an article that was published in 2021 in the @haskinssociety.bsky.social Journal, I expressed some scepticism about the veracity of William of Poitiers’ claim that the papacy sponsored the Norman...
Papal Banner depicted in the BBC series King and Conqueror
August 29, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
cathfeely.bsky.social
I have successfully collaborated with scientists but that's key. We collaborated. They included historians from the beginning of the project. I wasn't hostile to their methods because they listened to and respected mine. The Nature article wasn't interdisciplinary - it excluded the other discipline.
ulrich-k-roessler.bsky.social UKRin @ulrich-k-roessler.bsky.social · Aug 29
Reactions by historians here indicate that barriers for interdiscplinary work are robust, even may reflect hostile attitudes. Although they seem more rooted in different styles of thinking and communicating, rather than ideological differences.
August 30, 2025 at 8:30 AM
medivalist.bsky.social
The online version of my article for BBC History Magazine '1066: who was the rightful king?' is available to subscribers ‪@historyextra.bsky.social‬. www.historyextra.com/membership/1... (written before the broadcast of #KingAndConqueror)
1066: who was the rightful king?
Which of four main contenders for the English throne had the strongest claim? Was it the Anglo-Saxon strongman, the Norman duke, the ‘Thunderbolt of the North’ or a callow teenager? Caitlin Ellis size...
www.historyextra.com
August 29, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
merleeisenberg.bsky.social
Finally, collaboration. If you want to do a history-focused project to try new stuff (which is great as an idea!), then you have to design the project with a historian from day one. A historian would have said using a 90 year old book as your data source misses swaths scholarship. 5/
August 29, 2025 at 1:20 PM
medivalist.bsky.social
England had such lovely lava fields in the eleventh century #KingAndConqueror
August 28, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
nposegay.bsky.social
There will be many casualties from UChicago ending ('pausing') PhD admissions in Humantities, but one which I am keenly aware of: this is close to a death sentence for teaching cuneiform in the United States (esp. Sumerian, Hittite, Elamite, Eblaite, Luwian) and it will affect the whole world.
annetteyreed.bsky.social Annette Yoshiko Reed @annetteyreed.bsky.social · Aug 27
“Chicago has long helped to keep alive tiny fields & esoteric areas of humanistic study... Without the univ’s support, & the continued training of grad students who can keep these bodies of kn going, entire spheres of human learning might eventually blink out.” www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...
If the University of Chicago Won’t Defend the Humanities, Who Will?
Why it matters that the University of Chicago is pausing admissions to doctoral programs in literature, philosophy, the arts, and languages
www.theatlantic.com
August 27, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
historydan1066.bsky.social
After the release of #KingAndConqueror, it seems an opportune moment to remind you that the deadline for the submission of abstracts for 'The Past, Present, and Future after Conquest: 1066, 1169' is the end of next month.

#medievalsky #Normans @leverhulme.ac.uk
historydan1066.bsky.social Dan Armstrong @historydan1066.bsky.social · Jul 1
Michael Staunton and I are running a conference here at UCD in June 2026 on 'The Past, Present, and Future after Conquest: 1066, 1169'.

Details of the Call for Papers below 👇

#medievalsky #Normans @leverhulme.ac.uk

Deadline for the submission of abstracts is the 26th September
Separated by almost exactly a century, England and Ireland were conquered by Norman invaders. The years of conquest, 1066 and 1169, mark major turning points in the national historiographies of England and Ireland, with these invasions leading to the violent imposition of foreign rulers and regimes that altered the very past, present, and future of the British-Irish Isles. The violent subjugation of England and Ireland were part of a wider pattern of expansion and colonisation across eleventh- and twelfth-century Europe, a process in which the Normans played a defining role. This conference aims to consider the Norman conquests of 1066 and 1169 in parallel. Rather than treating these invasions in isolation, we will explore their similarities and differences. It will seek to understand external perspectives on these invasions, beyond England and Ireland, and will encourage comparison with other invasions and conquests of the period. Whilst the conference will examine the immediate impact of these violent and disruptive events, it will also consider how these invasions led to a rethinking of the past. The crisis of these conquests led individuals and institutions to rethink their past, rewriting history to justify their actions and establish their place in a new and uncertain world. Applicants should submit an abstract of no more than 500 words for a 20-minute paper. When submitting a paper proposal, please nominate one or more of the following thematic strands: • Session 1: Rewriting the Past after Conquest • Session 2: Justifications of Conquest and Violence • Session 3: Beyond England and Ireland: The View of 1066 and 1169 from Wales, Scotland, and Continental Europe • Session 4: The Church, the Papacy, and Conquest • Session 5: Society, People, and Cultural Exchange before and after Conquest Paper proposals should be emailed to Dr Dan Armstrong (daniel.armstrong@ucd.ie) AND Professor Michael Staunton (michael.staunton@ucd.ie) by the 26th September 2025
August 25, 2025 at 2:51 PM
medivalist.bsky.social
Other issues have been pointed out with #KingAndConqueror but my pet peeve right now – how did a sword end up under a cart wheel? Why would someone leave behind such an expensive item?
August 25, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
apardjon1.bsky.social
CFP REMINDER!

Just a reminder that there is one week left until our deadline for Volume 4 of Apardjón - 1 September 2025. We are especially interested in interdisciplinary approaches within the field of Viking and medieval Scandinavia. Full details are in our CFP. #MedievalSky
August 25, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Caitlin Ellis
amybrown.xyz
this iconic advertising copywriter named Kathy Hepinstall Parks died over the weekend and I wanted to share something from her website I thought Bluesky would like
Why should I write better when a machine can do it for me? Because actually no one can do it for you, because your voice is unique among all the people on earth. Siri never petted a horse's neck. Alexa has never been ghosted by the captain of the football team. But you have lived, your heart is beating, you have suffered, and you have something important to say. It's a human's job, to use words, and whatever job you give to a machine, that part of your brain goes dark. Maybe it's worth it when it comes to remembering phone numbers and directions, but when that part of your brain that uses words goes dark, that's a vast area that's very close to your soul. Don't let some internet platform convince you that what you have to say and create isn't worthwhile. Words are the echo of your soul. Honing that echo matters.
August 22, 2025 at 2:20 PM