Dr Lacey Bonar Hull

When you’re just trying to read your book but someone keeps interrupting you @laBnF Latin MS 1173, fol. 10r

When you’re just trying to read your book but someone keeps interrupting you

@laBnF Latin MS 1173, fol. 10r

I also think we might have a medieval scarecrow featured in the center of the image 🔎

Happy October!

This is the calendar miniature for October from an elaborate 15th-century manuscript, Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. The ms was made for John, Duke of Berry, around 1415

This scene shows peasants tilling a field with the medieval Louvre Castle in the background 🏰

Elizabeth I

The queen hastily added an “s” to the birth announcement to tell of a princess instead of prince, the king cancelled his celebratory tournament, & Henry VIII’s quest for an heir continued

No one could predict that this baby would go on to become the most powerful Tudor monarch 👑

Anne Boleyn

492 years ago today, Anne Boleyn was labouring in her chambers at Greenwich Palace, confident she was giving birth to the king’s long-awaited heir

Everyone from royal physicians to court astrologers were sure the baby would be a boy

But Anne gave birth to a girl

A zoomed-in view

The September illustration shows peasants harvesting grapes with the Château de Saumur in the background

But at the very bottom of the illustration, near the center, you can see a peasant bent over with what appears to be his undergarments showing 🫣

September illustration from a medieval manuscript

Happy September!

This is the calendar miniature for Sept from an elaborate 15th-century manuscript, Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. The ms was made for John, Duke of Berry & younger brother of King Charles V of France, around 1415

If you look closely, there's a surprise 🔎

Three images from a medieval manuscript

Three images from a medieval manuscript

Three images from a medieval manuscript

✨ Medieval Marginalia Appreciation Post ✨

These charming (?) musicians live in the margins of a copy of Froissart’s “Chroniques,” held today at @labnf.bsky.social as MS Français 2643

You’ll find them on fol. 72r 🏰

Antonia Fraser’s “The (Six) Wives of Henry VIII”

This classic has been keeping me company while I’ve been doing some driving for work this week

Antonia Fraser’s “The Wives of Henry VIII” 📖

Stay tuned!!! I’m hoping to share soon! We’re going out on submission later this year 😬

It really is such a shame! I had no idea

So far I’ve found it to be an incredibly supportive atmosphere but will be keeping my eye out for an alternative newsletter platform 😫 for now I’m hoping my little history corner of substack will remain a pleasant space in the meantime 😫😫😫

A photo of an iced coffee and book proposal edits on a laptop

Saturdays are for iced coffees and final book proposal edits ✨

Oh no I didn’t know that! 😫😫

The book club is free & open to anyone & everyone with an interest in premodern history

It'll be hosted on my Substack, so be sure to subscribe (sign up as a FREE subscriber...unless you WANT to pay 😉)

The voting link is at the end of this post ⬇️

thehistoriansdesk.substack.com/p/introducing-…

A Virtual Bookclub announcement

A virtual bookclub is a popular request in my online courses & I am VERY happy to announce that The Historian's Desk Bookclub is now ✨LIVE✨

We're voting on our 1st book THIS WEEK & will have our 1st virtual call in Oct 🥰

Link to sign up and vote in bio & in the next post ⬇️

A medieval writing space for your Saturday inspiration 📖

@labnf.bsky.social MS Fr. 1176, fol. 1r ✨

This evening’s writing view looks a bit different because I’m traveling for work, but it’s nothing a few good books and a cold brew coffee can’t fix 🥰😉

Here’s a charming unicorn to close out this Medieval Monday

This lovely little guy comes from @labnf.bsky.social , MS Fr. 22532, fol. 310v and likely dates to the 15th century 🦄

A good day for some swim lessons for the four-year-old 🥰

The Historian's Desk | Lacey Bonar Hull | Substack A place to explore all things medieval and Tudor history. Click to read The Historian's Desk, by Lacey Bonar Hull, a Substack publication. Launched 2 hours ago.

I'm SO excited to share my new adventure, The Historian's Desk!

Through my page and newsletter, I'll be sharing FREE long- and short-form writing on medieval & Tudor history along with LIVE lectures, discussions, and a book club

Subscribe to join!

thehistoriansdesk.substack.com?r=30qldv&utm...

The Historian's Desk | Lacey Bonar Hull | Substack A place to explore all things medieval and Tudor history. Click to read The Historian's Desk, by Lacey Bonar Hull, a Substack publication. Launched 2 hours ago.

I'm SO excited to share my new adventure, The Historian's Desk!

Through my page and newsletter, I'll be sharing FREE long- and short-form writing on medieval & Tudor history along with LIVE lectures, discussions, and a book club

Subscribe to join!

thehistoriansdesk.substack.com?r=30qldv&utm...

The oldest surviving depiction of Joan of Arc

#OTD in 1431, the 19-year-old Joan of Arc was burned at the stake

This is the earliest surviving depiction of Joan, recorded in the protocol of the parliament of Paris of May 1429. At the time, she had just rallied the struggling French to victory at the siege of Orléans

Cecily Neville Podcast Episode · Willy Willy Harry Stee... · 05/29/2025 · 57m

I’ve recorded a lot of podcast episodes, but this was one of my favs

Listen in while @charliehigson.bsky.social & I discuss one of my ALL TIME favorite historical women: Cecily Neville 👑

@wwhspodcast.bsky.social has quickly become one of my go-to podcasts. 10/10

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...

Manuscript detail showing two medieval dogs

Some personal favorites are Argument, Litilman, Baby, Trinket, Damysell, Pretiboy, Havegoodday, Stedefast, and Charlemayne 🐶

3/3

Edward, 2nd Duke of York

what these dogs’ names might have been. Edward wrote a treatise titled “The Master of Game” sometime between 1406 and 1413, dedicating it to the future Henry V. This guide to hunting includes over 1000 popular dog names from the early fifteenth century

2/3

A medieval manuscript showing women and dogs on a hunt

I was browsing through @bodleianlibraries.bsky.social MS Bodl. 264 for some medieval depictions of women’s pastimes and couldn’t help but notice just how many dogs feature in this particular manuscript, including these little guys.

Thanks to Edward, 2nd Duke of York, we have some ideas of

🧵 1/3

The winner (or two 😉) will be announced this weekend

Good luck!

And you know what this means

New course, new giveaway!

To enter for a chance to win a ✨free✨ enrollment in ANY Medieval History Academy course of your choosing, repost this original post below

For a 2nd entry, reply to the post naming a historical woman — any woman — who you’d like to learn about

ALSO!!! Please feel free to DM me your email address if you’d like a promo code discount link

I hope to one day offer these courses for free but until then, I have to make a living 😅 but I am always, always, always more than happy to send over a discount code!

This is the course that kicked off Medieval History Academy 2 years ago, & I feel incredibly lucky that there’s been so much interest for me to offer it again 🥰

Participants will receive 14 lectures (that you can watch on your own time!) and 2 live discussions over the 8 weeks