iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 3h

Happy to say that the event will now be recorded, so if you can't make the live event, make sure to buy a ticket and the recording will be sent afterwards! Just a week to go, make sure you don't miss out #history #historians #bloggers

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Thank you! Yes, definitely something we've experienced, moreso in the age of AI. But as you say, the rewards can be so rewarding 💕 I've met some really wonderful people through blogging

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Thank you for sharing ❤️ I hope it can be of use to people!

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I needed to find a way to celebrate Just History Posts, and so I'm hosting an online event on 17th October! Joined by other bloggers, we'll chat everything history websites: running them, challenges we’ve faced, where the future may take us, and more! Tickets: justhistoryposts.com/events/

An event poster with a grey background. The text reads:
Just History Posts' 10th Anniversary. Saturday 17th October 4pm BST. An online event celebrating history bloggers. Hear what it takes to found and run a history website, and where the future of historical blogging may be. Learn more at justhistoryposts.com. There are 5 headshots of those taking part in the event: Gemma Hollman, Amy Boucher, Sharon Bennett Connolly, Rebecca Larson and Tamise Hills.

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

In the intervening decade, I've written many, many more posts (and a few books), gathered thousands of views, and been read in most countries in the world. I've met amazing people, and learnt so much. It's been my passion project, my comfort place that I can always return to.

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

10 years ago, I made the plunge and created Just History Posts as a way to keep up my interest in history. My first post looked at Eleanor Cobham, a woman who had captured my interest at university, and who would later feature in my first non-fiction book. justhistoryposts.com/2016/10/02/r...

justhistoryposts.com

Royal People: Eleanor Cobham, Royal Witch?

I thought it only fitting to write my first post about one of the women my recent Masters dissertation focused upon. Eleanor Cobham was a woman who lived in England during the fifteenth century. In…

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

We'll chat about what inspired us to create our history websites, what it takes to run them, the challenges we’ve faced, how historical blogging has changed as the internet has changed, where the future may take us, and we’ll provide advice for those who want to start a history website of their own.

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

I'm so excited to reveal that next month, in celebration of Just History Posts' 10th anniversary, I will be hosting an online event! I'll be joined by @g0blinegg.bsky.social, @thehistorybits.bsky.social, @tudorsdynasty.bsky.social and @janegreyinfo.bsky.social Tickets: justhistoryposts.com/events/

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I went to Bodiam Castle a few weeks ago, and it was just absolutely wonderful, a "proper" medieval castle, and beautiful even as a ruin.

A yellowed-stone castle seen through a framing of trees and grasses, with a moat with water lilies in the foreground

A view through a small stone window to a stone turret

A view from the top of a tower down to a courtyard surrounded by ruined castle walls

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Rosemary Griggs @ragriggsauthor.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I’ll be sharing insights into what I’ve discovered about this remarkable woman and signing copies of my book. By coming along you’ll also be supporting one of Exeter’s oldest buildings. www.ticketsource.com/nicholasprio... #exeter #bookevent

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I've just realised I've never seen a picture of the back before. How wonderful!

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I hate how much I now have to rethink and interrogate and research each email I get. I'm having to question emails from people wanting to write guest posts to assess if they're even real people.

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Also in my day job in an archive, we have been getting similar AI emails addressed to people in our collections who have published books and are long dead! They're so lazy they can't even do that most basic level of research.

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Can confirm have been getting so many AI emails from book clubs/book promotors that are pages and pages of AI, recounting the blurb of my own books to me and saying how they can help. More insidious that they're realising we're mostly not falling for it and are now impersonating real people

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Dr Miranda Kaufmann @drmirandakaufmann.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

#Heiresses- which tells the stories of nine British female enslavers- is out in paperback today! Get yours here: linktr.ee/drmirandakau...

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

In today's newsletter, I recount my trip to the beautiful Bodiam Castle in Sussex, tease you with plans for Just History Posts' 10th anniversary next month, and introduce a new way to support my work! justhistoryposts.substack.com/p/anniversar...

A background photograph shows a blue sky with clouds, part of a moat surrounded by trees, and the edge of some castle walls. Overlaid is the text "Anniversary Preparations and a New Way to Support", with Just History Posts' Substack URL

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John McCafferty @jdmccafferty.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

The month of September, from a series of the Labours of the Months. Made in England (Norwich), c.1480. V&A, London

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Huge congrats Amy, I bet you were fabulous! 🪄

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Richard was keen to make a physical mark during his reign, and sprinkled his badge all around Westminster. The muniments White Hart features in my upcoming extended biography of Richard, out in October!

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👻madeline bOoOoOoOodent👻 @oldenoughtosay.com · 19/08/2026

One time I was working in the gallery of Duke Humfrey’s and a bat flew by and I had no idea what to do and didn’t want to leave my desk so I @‘d the Bodleian and ten minutes later I saw a porter sprint past, out of breath, with a butterfly net

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

If you don't already follow Buckinghamshire Archives then you must, their social media is top notch and full of great humour!

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

My latest newsletter is out! This month I'm chatting about the fun process of editing my upcoming book, and a historical trip to Greenwich and the Queen's House. Make sure to take a read! open.substack.com/pub/justhist...

A background image of a blue sky with white clouds, scorched yellow grass, and part of a white colonnade and white building. Overlaid is text that reads "Editing and Trips to Greenwich" with a link to the Just History Posts's substack

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

I'm so glad you thought so! I really enjoyed reading about it myself!

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

"The resulting tapestry is a revelation" So happy to share some endorsements for my upcoming book, Richard II: King, Culture and the Court of Venus! I really wanted to create a multi-layered look at Richard's court, bringing in religion, culture, and gender alongside politics and war.

A red background overlaid with endorsement text:

'In sparkling, pacy prose, Gemma Hollman expertly weaves together the myriad strands of politics, warfare, culture, religion and finance that dominated royal life in the late fourteenth century, while also giving due prominence to the many influential and often overlooked women at Richard II’s court. The resulting tapestry is a revelation: an original, nuanced and multi-layered portrait of one of England’s most misunderstood kings.'

-- Catherine Hanley, author of Lionessheart: The Life and Times of Joanna Plantagenet

'Richard II is usually remembered as a boy-king and a tyrant, his reign cut short by deposition and death. In this book, Gemma Hollman reveals a different side to Richard and his court, skilfully contrasting rebellion with artistic brilliance, courtly glamour with political collapse. As ever, Hollman brings women to the forefront of medieval history, shining a light on their roles at the dazzling court of Richard II and offering a fresh perspective on one of England’s most fascinating kings. A must-read for scholars and history lovers alike.'

-- Sylvia Barbara Soberton, author of Mary Boleyn: The Queen's Slandered Sister

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Louvain Rees ⚰️ @hellohistoria.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

#StainedGlassSunday 🪟 Gorgeous reflection of the stained glass on the tomb of Bishop Thomas Hatfield (d.1381) 🌞 📍Durham Cathedral #Durham #History

An stone tomb set within a durham cathedral, with a Gothic archway and multicoloured light filtering through a stained-glass window.

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

There are also stories of real wolves being hunted and treated as if they were werewolves, their bodies dressed in human clothes and placed in public places. Eventually, belief passed into legend, and werewolves passed into popular culture, though many aspects of their original stories remain.

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Punishment for perceived werewolves was brutal. In 1589, a German man, Peter Stumpp/Stubbe, confessed to using a belt given to him by the devil to transform into a wolf and murder numerous people. He had a torturous execution, and his head was placed above the figure of a wolf and both were burnt.

A woodcutting of Peter's story. In the top left is a werewolf walking the woods and killing a man. In the foreground, Peter is tortured and beheaded. Behind that is a wooden pole with his head on top, and a figure of a wolf below. In the background are rows of soldiers and citizens watching several people being burnt at the stake.

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Across the medieval period, severe wolf attacks increasingly got linked to rumours of werewolves, and eventually individual people started to be accused of being one, and of causing the deaths of people.

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

This idea was picked up by the Norse. In the 13th-century Icelandic Saga of the Volsungs, two men, Sigmund and Sinfjotli, put on wolf pelts and found themselves turned into wolves, cursed to roam the countryside killing people. Eventually they managed to turn back into men, and they burnt the pelts.

An ancient vase with an image of a man crawling on all fours, with a wolf pelt draped over his back and head.

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Greek legend also tells of Zeus visiting Lycaon, King of Arcadia, who wanted to test Zeus' omniscience by serving Zeus the roasted flesh of his own son. Zeus furiously turned Lycaon into a wolf and revived his son from the dead. Stories are found elsewhere of men turning into wolves by wearing pelts

An illustration showing a shocked Zeus seated at a table where parts of a baby are shown on a plate. A man flees the scene, his head transformed into a beast.

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Possibly the earliest surviving references to what we would consider werewolves come from 5th century BC Greek historian Herodotus, who described the nomadic Neuri people, whom he said would transform into wolves several days a year.

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

With all the hype around the upcoming Werwulf film, I thought it'd be fun to do a short thread about the history of werewolf legends in Europe! NB there will be some gruesome woodcuts.

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Well the British Museum queue for the Bayeaux Tapestry was predictably a disaster - I've queued for 6 hours, finally got in, still tickets available, but the webpage doesn't actually load to let you buy them, just get spinning wheel of doom 🙃 how can organisers still not handle big events?

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Another month, another newsletter! Now that we're halfway through the year, I thought I'd take a look forward to the next 6 months of the blog - and particularly to Just History Posts' 10 year anniversary in October! justhistoryposts.substack.com/p/a-look-for...

A red bricked building with white windows. Overlaid is the text "A Look Forward: Just History Posts's Substack" with a URL.

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Well, you definitely wrote something! 😁

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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

In 1902 a farmer ploughed up this bronze horse at Trundholm, Denmark. Thinking it was an old toy he took it home for his children! 😱 On closer inspection he contacted the National Museum. Now the ‘Sun Chariot’ is an iconic symbol of Denmark’s Bronze Age 3,400 years ago! #FindsFriday #Archaeology

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Sorry I've been quiet, big fun things happening in my personal life, including a trip to Florence! So have a picture of David, which is absolutely worth the hype and was stunning to see in person, you must go if you ever get the chance!!

The statue "David" by Michelangelo, seen in this angle looking off to the right of frame.

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

And of course, I had to take a moment to go and see the spot where Richard III was discovered

A glass-covered hole in the ground, with an outline skeleton showing the location where Richard III's body was found.

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Gemma Hollman @gemmahauthor.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Really enjoyed the 'Scandalous Liaisons' study day on Saturday with the @richardiiisociety.bsky.social Leicester branch, and telling the story of Alice Perrers and Edward III. As the other talks showed, the late 14th century was definitely a scandalous time for relationships in the royal family!

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John McCafferty @jdmccafferty.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Portrait of Elisabeth Bellinghausen, 1493-1555 by Bartholomäus Bruyn (I), 1538 - 1539 (Rijksmuseum) Elisabeth was a daughter of Professor Peter Bellinghausen, Chancellor of Cologne.

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Julia Laite @julialaite.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

This is a long shot because this isn't the old twitter, but I'm looking for history articles/books that look at cases of British/Irish settlers/squatters being prosecuted for crimes against Indigenous/colonized people. It can be anywhere in the world, but ideally the late C18/early C19.

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