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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️

@deaconjh.bsky.social
124 followers 85 following 72 posts

PhD in Medieval Studies from the University of Leeds. Academic Errant. Researching martial culture in late medieval and early modern England. He/him

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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Starting next month I'll be teaching an online course on swords and swordplay in medieval/early modern England. Sign up to learn about how fencers fought, how they documented their practice, and how this knowledge was passed on by the Masters of Defence. medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/fenc...
medievalstudies.thinkific.com
En Garde! Fencing in Late Medieval and Early Modern England
From apprentices in the street to princes at court, fencing was widespread in late medieval and early modern England. This course explores the fascinating careers and martial arts of those who instruc...
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Early Modern Conflict, War and Violence Network @earlymodernwar.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Starting Day 2 with a great panel on martial writing, including some very engaging discussions about fencing and theatre with Ebrahim Joseph, Gary Evans, Jacob H. Deacon @deaconjh.bsky.social and our very own Dylan McCorquodale 🗡️🤺
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Early Modern Conflict, War and Violence Network @earlymodernwar.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
We're off! Kicked off day 1 with an excellent panel on violence in South Asia, including papers by Bidisha Sen Gupta, Jean-Marc Hill and Padmanabha Reddy Addula 🏴‍☠️🖼️ @jeanmarchill.bsky.social
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Fencing technique of the week from the 1611 treatise of Michael Hundt: 'If your grace wants to do a dirty trick [...] then use nothing more than these words, "I won't fight with the two of you, rather only with one" and when he wants to look around he comes up short and you can thrust him through'.
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
A little under a week left to submit abstracts!
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Call for papers for next year's International Medieval Congress a the University of Leeds in the first week of July. Just over three weeks to go for submitting abstracts. Please do circulate amongst interested parties.
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Greg Jenner (Historian) @gregjenner.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Please sign this UK government petition to compel AI companies to reveal whose books they used to train their data petition.parliament.uk/petitions/76...
petition.parliament.uk
Petition: Protect creators' rights: require AI firms to disclose training data
We ask the Government to introduce a statutory duty requiring AI developers to disclose the copyrighted works used to train generative AI in enough detail for creators to identify use of their work, e...
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
I can't believe I've never seen this before. An allegorical duel between Albrecht Durer and Apelles, fought before Emperor Maximilian I. The stone carving, by Hans Daucher, is dated to 1522. Lots to say about this, might need a bit of a write up somewhere.
A stone carving of two men engaged in single combat before a crowd.
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Little over a month until the deadline.
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Nathan Melson @nsmelson.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
I did this years ago on Twitter, but, here's a list of tools/utilities that every medievalist show know about and have bookmarked: #medievalsky
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Was a pleasure to be invited to the International Rapier Seminar to share some of my research this weekend. Thank you to the organisers and for everyone who decided to attend the lecture.
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Medievalist.net @medievalists.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
📚 No bruises, just brains—dive into the medieval art of fencing with this online course. medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/fenc... #Fencing #MedievalMartialArts
medievalstudies.thinkific.com
En Garde! Fencing in Late Medieval and Early Modern England
From apprentices in the street to princes at court, fencing was widespread in late medieval and early modern England. This course explores the fascinating careers and martial arts of those who…
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
The week after the IMC is always so productive for me. I've sent in the proposal for my first monograph, finished refining a series of lectures for a course starting next week, and am now putting the finishing touches on a talk to be delivered tomorrow at the International Rapier Seminar.
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
After the success of this year's iteration of Arms, Armour, and the Arts of Combat at the @imc-leeds.bsky.social , it's time to begin planning for next year. Please do circulate amongst any relevant parties. #imc2026 #imc2027
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
In the rare position of travelling to Leeds for the @imc-leeds.bsky.social this year (rather than just catching the bus!). Final research on the train is going well. Looking forward to talking about Tudor tournaments on Wednesday.
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Someone's phone just went off in the manuscript room of the British Library. The tension is palpable.
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History and Heritage Yorkshire @handhyorkshire.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
🧵The Cawood Sword is one of the rarest and best-preserved medieval swords ever discovered in Britain only the fifth example of its type to be found. Recovered from the River Ouse near Cawood Castle in the late 19th century, it remains in such remarkable condition that
The Cawood Sword is widely considered one of the finest and best-preserved 11th-century Viking swords ever discovered. Dating to approximately 1100 AD, it represents a transitional weapon bridging the end of the Viking Age and the beginning of the High Middle Ages. It was recovered in the late 19th century from the mud of the River Ouse bed near Cawood Castle in North Yorkshire, England, which helped keep it virtually intact for nearly a millennium. After decades in private hands, it was acquired in 2007 by the Yorkshire Museum, where it remains a permanent fixture. Image: York Museums Trust CC BY-SA 4.0The Cawood Sword is widely considered one of the finest and best-preserved 11th-century Viking swords ever discovered. Dating to approximately 1100 AD, it represents a transitional weapon bridging the end of the Viking Age and the beginning of the High Middle Ages. It was recovered in the late 19th century from the mud of the River Ouse bed near Cawood Castle in North Yorkshire, England, which helped keep it virtually intact for nearly a millennium. After decades in private hands, it was acquired in 2007 by the Yorkshire Museum, where it remains a permanent fixture. Image: York Museums Trust CC BY-SA 4.0
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Boydell & Brewer @boydellandbrewer.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
🎉 We're so pleased to be shortlisted for Independent Publisher of the Year at The British Book Awards for the third consecutive year! Thank you to our authors, partners and team members for making this possible. 🥂 Congrats to all our fellow nominees! #BritishBookAwards #Nibbies
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Starting this Friday!
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Medievalist.net @medievalists.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Starting next week: En Garde! Fencing in Late Medieval and Early Modern England medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/fenc... #HistoricalEuropeanMartialArts
medievalstudies.thinkific.com
En Garde! Fencing in Late Medieval and Early Modern England
From apprentices in the street to princes at court, fencing was widespread in late medieval and early modern England. This course explores the fascinating careers and martial arts of those who…
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Dr Eleanor Janega @goingmedieval.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
For Patrons I wrote about the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, whether it is possible for royals to actually face justice, and what they theoretically face it for. www.patreon.com/posts/in-mon...
patreon.com
In a monarchy is justice against a royal possible? | Dr Eleanor Janega
Get more from Dr Eleanor Janega on Patreon
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
This was a brilliant conference last year. Hoping that this year's iteration will be even more successful.
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Starting next week! Sharpen your swords, and bring your notepads.
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Great news. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
British Museum to keep pendant linked to Henry VIII after campaign
The museum says it has reached a fundraising goal so it can permanently display the artefact.
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Dr Eleanor Baker @eleanormaybaker.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Outside the Level 2 Reading Room in @bodleian.ox.ac.uk there is a wellbeing display. Here are some it's little zines that genuinely made me smile.
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
I heard the guy teaching this knows his stuff.
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
I have two short articles in the new issue of Medieval World magazine. The first, about a type of medieval tournament called pas d'armes, and the second about the commemoration of tournaments at the court of Emperor Maximilian. I'm pleased to say that the first was chosen as this month's centrefold.
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Happy #IMC2026 acceptance day. I'll be sharing details of the two strands of Arms, Armour, and the Arts of Combat (that's right, twenty-four papers!) very soon.
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Institute for Medieval Studies Leeds @leedsims.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
This Thursday. In person or hybrid. To sign up for online attendance click forms.office.com/e/L834SBHzKX. #medievalsky #medievalwarfare #museums #materialculture
Poster for a talk. Title: Thursday 27 November 2025 5.30 pm: Going Deeper with the Royal Armouries, Parkinson 1.08 (in-person and online). Text says: Museum staff will showcase some of the museum’s medieval ties: from early Islamic arms and armour, through Victorian medievalism in fakes and architecture and the oldest surviving European fight book I.33, to swords as talismans and sources of information. Speakers: Natasha Bennett, curator of the Asian & African collections; Stuart Ivinson, the librarian and specialist in historical martial arts both as a practitioner and as a teacher and researcher; Iason-Eleftherios Tzouriadis, curator of European Edged Weapons (and former Leeds student); Mark Bennett, the Royal Armouries' research manager who works on fortifications. Image is a detail of piece of metal armour showing an edge, two rivets, marks of usage, and a tiny symbol that looks like a rose
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Brilliant first day at the conference. Some excellent papers, good discussion about research, and a really enjoyable keynote.
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Really looking forward to this!
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Dr. Erika Graham-Goering @jeanneologist.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
A reminder that there's about a week left to pitch your paper for this year's interdisciplinary Late Medieval France and Burgundy Seminar, the loveliest event of its kind, at Durham in mid-December! There's a great (and non-exclusive) theme, and it's lots of fun for ECRs and senior scholars alike!
Call for Papers for the 10th Late Medieval France and Burgundy Seminar: Durham University, 12-13 December 2025














Image: Jardin d'amour à la cour de Philippe le bon, duc de Bourgogne, Musée de Versailles 
Tradition and Innovation 
For the tenth meeting of the Late Medieval France and Burgundy Seminar (Durham, 2025), we invite proposals for 20-minute papers on the theme of Tradition and Innovation. 
We would welcome any explorations of this theme based on original research on France and/or Burgundy between c.1250 and c.1500, or which reflect on developments in modern scholarship relating to these territories, in any field, including history, art, literature, languages and music. Papers might examine (but are not limited to considering):   
	Major shifts in politics, society, culture, literature, art or music within the Franco-Burgundian lands during the late Middle Ages.
	The durability of established practices and structures in these regions.
	Old and new approaches in historiography looking back at late medieval France/ Burgundy – including new approaches to ‘English Frances’ and ‘Lordship and the Decentralised State’. 
	Continuity and change in textual analysis and other scholarship relating to late medieval France/Burgundy. 
We would particularly welcome submissions from postgraduates and early career researchers, as well as scholars at any stage in their research. The deadline for paper proposals (of around 100 words) is 31 October. Please send proposals/queries to Professor Graeme Small (g.p.small@durham.ac.uk) and Dr Andrew Green (admgreen7@gmail.com).
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
23 September and I've been Wham'd. Only the good Wham young.
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John Gallagher @earlymodernjohn.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
A huge moment -- Melvyn Bragg steps down from In Our Time after over a quarter of a century. What a programme and what a legacy! Just a model for how to make great, clever, engaging radio, and a twenty-seven-year experiment that proves there's a huge global audience for smart, scholarly programming.
bbc.co.uk
Melvyn Bragg decides to step down from presenting In Our Time
After 26 years on the programme, the legendary presenter bids farewell to the series
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John Gallagher @earlymodernjohn.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Seeing a lot of critical responses from medievalists about this BBC 1066 thing. As an early modernist, just to say that I'm happy to confirm that medieval people were indeed covered in dirt all the time and did all sound like they were in the Wurzels.
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Sophie Bacchus-Waterman @sophiebwaterman.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
Spending this morning doing a pre-digitization check for SJC A.2.7, St John's College Library's copy of Caxton's "Game and Play of the Chess". The whole book will be available on Digital Bodleian soon!
Woodcut from SJC A.2.7, depicting a knight riding a horse
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
Call for papers! This year's sessions on Arms, Armour, and the Arts of Combat at the @imc-leeds.bsky.social demonstrated some excellent research and produced much brilliant discussion. Please do circulate to any interested parties. #imc2025 #imc2026
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Ted Vallance @tedvallance.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
FYA early modernists: jobs.royalholloway.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...
jobs.royalholloway.ac.uk
Job Opportunity at Royal Holloway University of London: Postdoctoral Research Associate (16th-18th century focus) - Inclusive Histories
Full-time, Fixed Term (12 months)Applications are invited for the post of Postdoctoral Research Associate in the School of Humanities.Inclusive Histories is a collaborative research and schools engage...
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
The 2019 edition of Freydal is a pleasure to work with. Partially because it's so heavy that just taking it off the shelf counts as a workout.
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
This is the name of my alter-ego should I go out for breakfast on the weekend.
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Call for papers! This year's sessions on Arms, Armour, and the Arts of Combat at the @imc-leeds.bsky.social demonstrated some excellent research and produced much brilliant discussion. Please do circulate to any interested parties. #imc2025 #imc2026
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Jenni Hyde @wallyberry.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Goodbye to the history department at Lancaster University, where the @socialhistsoc.bsky.social was founded 49 years ago. From tomorrow we are part of a School of Global Affairs. Next year, who knows what will be - please sign our petition against mass redundancies chng.it/PZfTFDjNcr
chng.it
Sign the Petition
Stop Mass Redundancies at Lancaster University – Hold Senior Management Accountable
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Come along tomorrow night to learn more about swordplay in medieval and early modern England!
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Calum Cockburn @ccockburn.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
In June 1513, Henry VIII launched an invasion of France, attempting to reclaim lost English lands. Today's blogpost by @rorymaclellan.bsky.social looks at three documents which shine a light on the preparations for this campaign and the supply of armour for Henry's troops. t.co/rYaeYw6Jbq
A charter with two seals and featuring the autograph signatures of Henry VIII, Thomas Wolsey and John Daunce.
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Medievalist.net @medievalists.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
We have two new online courses from @nicmorton.bsky.social The Knights Templar 1120-1314 - medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/temp... Medieval Europe 870 - 1300 - medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/medi... Check them out! #MedievalStudies
medievalstudies.thinkific.com
The Knights Templar 1120-1314
Explore the astonishing phenomenon of the Knights Templar. Trace the order’s development from the First Crusade’s aftermath, through its rise to enormous power, and then its dissolution, for a…
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Ed Roberts @ecroberts.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Delighted to say that I've been awarded a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship for 2025-26, and we are hiring a 1-year full-time lecturer in early medieval history to replace me. Deadline 7 August. Please get in touch with me if you have any questions about the role! jobs.kent.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...
jobs.kent.ac.uk
Job Opportunity at the University of Kent: Lecturer in Early Medieval History (c.400-1100)
Are you an experienced Lecturer who can teach British and European Early Medieval History?  Do you have a passion for Medieval History and are you available for a fixed term contract to start in Septe...
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Charlotte Lydia Riley @lottelydia.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
All famines are man-made, all famines are political. Historians of empire and humanitarianism have known this forever. Gaza is not starving, Gaza is being starved, by Israel, and this starvation is enabled by our government and by every other government that does not step in to force food and aid.
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Dr Jacob H. Deacon ⚔️ @deaconjh.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
'Masters of Defence: Fencers and Fencing in England, c. 1400-1600' Next Friday evening, at 7pm UK time, I’ll be talking about my research for the German Federation for Historical Fencing. You can join the talk here: (uni-trier.zoom-x.de/j/6650319538...) Meeting-ID: 665 0319 5383 Password: 4w2v9GN6
A seventeenth-century illustration of two unarmoured fencers fighting with two-handed swords.
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Institute for Medieval Studies Leeds @leedsims.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
Congratulations to all three of our PhD graduands yesterday: @deaconjh.bsky.social, Samuel Bradley and @florencehrscott.bsky.social standing with Karen Watts, Alan Murray, Charley Roe, Jonathan Jarrett and Melanie Brunner #leedsmedieval #medievalsky
Group of eight people three of whom are dressed in formal green and gold academic gowns and black hats with gold tassles
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Rose Schmits @roseschmits.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
“I asked chatgpt” well i asked your wife. She’s leaving you, Steve; for being such a massive loser
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