iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

So great to be back in Lund University! Lets plan for future collaboration adventures!

Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Thanks for the shout out! The idea of shared hereditary court offices is so strange when compared to other European monarchies. But then, so much of the British system is odd in comparison...

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

My book on the Bourbons is coming out next month! Some of the material that didn't make it in includes two families with Bourbon blood, the dukes of Sueca and the dukes of Riansares, both descended from young men who caught the royal eye! dukesandprinces.org/2026/09/27/s...

dukesandprinces.org

Spanish Mavericks: Ripperdá, Godoy, Riánsares

Some of the most fun stories about dukes and princes in European history are about those who seem to come from nowhere, gain the very highest of noble titles for catching the eye and favour of a pa…

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Society for Court Studies @courtstudies.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

📣 On 2 October SCS will hold a one day symposium on the future of court studies followed by a reception to mark our 30th anniversary! 📍St Mary's University Twickenham AND Strawberry Hill House 🕑 From 1pm Event is free for members! Click below to register 👇 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scs-30th-a...

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Society for Court Studies @courtstudies.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

📣 The Society's European Branch first 2026/27 virtual seminar will take place this week on Thursday 17 September at 6pm CET! Christian Kammann will present on their new book 'Hofkultur im weltlichen Hochstift. Landschaftsverbandes Stade, 2025' Register below www.eventbrite.fr/e/sept-vss-b...

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

There just seem to be so many layers to that story!

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

After a recent visit to Książ Castle in Silesia, a post about its owners, the Princes of Pless, seems appropiate. It's a tale about 'black gold', a fascinating British-born princess named Daisy, and a sex scandal or two for extra spice: dukesandprinces.org/2026/09/13/t...

dukesandprinces.org

The Princes of Pless and the Wealth of Silesian Coal

One of the things I like most most about reading about Europe’s historic dukes and princes are the stories that completely transcend nationalism or political boundaries—and in particular those set …

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Royal Studies @royalstudies.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

After a fantastic #KQ15, the Royal Studies Network is excited to announce the dates for Kings and Queens 16, in Santiago, Chile 🇨🇱 Join us from 7-10 September 2027 for our first conference in the Southern hemisphere! In 2027,the conference will focus on war and conquest.

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Dr Elena (Ellie) Woodacre @ewoodacre.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

A few highlights from day 2 of #KQ15 from @jspan.bsky.social keynote this am to the wonderful concert that rounded off the day @royalstudies.bsky.social

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Today we start three days of royal history presentations in Prague

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Oh at first I thought this was going to be about Prince Dogon, a second son who caused mayhem in Qing China!

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

What a wonder to see Matthias Braun's sculptures near Kuks in Bohemia. Carved straight out of the rock. This is St Onophrius

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Today the conference of @courtstudies.bsky.social visited the fantastic Ksiąz castle, once hometown Piast dukes and later princes von Plesse.

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Society for Court Studies @courtstudies.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

📣 Registration to attend our 2026 Conference "Storytelling at Princely Courts: Narration, Performance, Social Discourse, c.1200-1800" ends TOMORROW! (15 August) Click the link below to register! Don't miss out! courtstudies.org/events/confe...

courtstudies.org

Conferences - Society for Court Studies

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Society for Court Studies @courtstudies.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Save the date! For our 30th anniversary the Society for Court Studies will be holding a symposium on the question: "Where are Court Studies, now?" 📍St Mary's University Twickenham AND Strawberry Hill House 🗓 2 October 2026 🕑 From 2pm - times TBC More information will follow in September

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Demiurge of Doom @euthyphro.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Noooo

Tim Curry as the Lord of Darkness from Legend

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Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 26/08/2026

The Empire State Building went pink at exactly 9:25pm for Dolly Parton. Because of course they made it 9 to 5. That’s how you honor an icon. 🩷

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

A lovely reconstructed medieval castle in Poznań

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

I'm excited to be travelling to Silesia tomorrow for this!

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Looks like a hat to wear at the parlement

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Yes to be fair they can all talk about cotton mills, but a region’s history goes back much further.

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Thanks! Only one appearance so far, but I hope to do another!

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Exactly. So I dont think blanket condemnations are useful

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I can think of *loads* of British folk who know absolutely no geography or history (i live in Manchester and regularly ask my students if they know even the basics about Lancashire and get utter silence)

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Podcast alert! A lovely conversation with my colleague @Rochi_Saiyajin about Queen Marie-Therese, Infanta of Spain, the always-forgotten 'Sun Queen' at #Versailles. Thanks so much for the invitation! #Queens : open.spotify.com/episode/5qxO...

open.spotify.com

Capítulo 13: La reina María Teresa de Austria y Felipe de Orleans, con Jonathan Spangler.

El legado de Carlos II · Episode

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Congratulations #Manchester on a successful mayoral election. I could re-post a #dukesandprinces post about the Dukes of Manchester, but, more relevant, is an older post about the Dukes of Bridgewater...as in canals! The Egertons owned Heaton Park and Tatton too dukesandprinces.org/2020/05/01/d...

dukesandprinces.org

Dukes of Bridgewater

When it comes to name swapping within the British aristocracy, the Egertons are champions. At various times their surname has been Malpas or Grey or Tatton, or more recently Leveson-Gore or Grosven…

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Following last week's #dukeandprinces, here are the Dukes of Buckingham & Chandos. One of Britain's great political dynasties, with more hyphens in their name than can be counted! Stowe House was almost a second capital for Grenvilles, Temples and Pitts. dukesandprinces.org/2026/08/01/h...

dukesandprinces.org

How Many Hyphens? The Dukes of Buckingham and Chandos

Once upon a time there was a man named Richard who had so many hyphens he didn’t know what to do. And so Lord Richard Temple-Nugent-Brydges-Chandos-Grenville petitioned the King for a dukedom and g…

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

A mostly forgotten dukedom, with a curious double name: Buckingham and Normanby. A title for the Sheffields, a prominent Tudor court family who two centuries later built a residence in London called Buckingham House, and eventually produced Samantha, Lady Cameron. dukesandprinces.org/2026/07/25/b...

dukesandprinces.org

Buckingham and Normanby: a Yorkshire dukedom for the House of Sheffield

In 2024, Emily Sheffield published an editorial in I (now The I Paper) commenting on what it was like to be former Tory Prime Minister David Cameron’s sister-in-law. She received a lot of flak on s…

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Brepols @brepols.net · 08/07/2026

We are in Warsaw this week, for the 2026 Medieval and Renaissance Music Conference. A great occasion the discover our newest titles in the field! More Info: bit.ly/44Q4xvF #MedRen2026 #Medren26 #MusicSky #MusicHistory

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Their story also intersects with the history of the Caribbean (ever hear of 'New Courland'?), the reign of Empress Anna of Russia, and two intelligent sisters who helped shape the course of post-Napoleonic settlements at the Congress of Vienna: the Duchess of Sagan and the Duchess of Dino.

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Following my trip to Latvia last week, may I present the dukes of Courland, with their amazing palaces at Jelgava and Rundale. The story of two ducal families, Kettler then Biron. dukesandprinces.org/2026/07/07/d...

dukesandprinces.org

Dukes of Courland: Kettlers and Birons

Can you think of a country in Europe that existed in the pre-modern period but vanished completely, leaving almost no trace? The Duchy of Courland is one of these. It was a semi-sovereign state fro…

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Today #dukesandprinces visits the Palace of Mitau (today Jelgava, Latvia). The seat of the dukes of Courland, and temporary home of the French court in exile, 1798 to 1807.

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Riga, even on a very very warm day, is lovely!

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

#Dukesandprinces visits Ireland this week for one of the very few Irish dukedoms: Ormond. Ceremonially butlers of the king from the 12th century, they dominated Kilkenny and Tipperary for centuries, sometimes pro-England, sometimes fiercely against. dukesandprinces.org/2026/06/27/d...

dukesandprinces.org

Dukes of Ormond: The Butlers, managing the King’s wine since the 12th century

In the historic Kingdom of Ireland there were two types of nobility: the ancient native Gaelic aristocracy, descended from kings and clan chiefs, and the Anglo-Norman nobles who arrived in the wake…

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

It seems it should be the Marquis de Brézé, but no amount of playing with that name to try to get an early modern spelling of Hus seems to work. Maybe there was a Dutch commander called Van Hus or Van Huis? (but there's almost no Dutch marquises)

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

The RSA is already, every year, filled with panels about Milton...

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The Delicious Legacy Podcast @deliciouslegacy.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Nature reserve. Haven for birds and sealife. Uninhabited beauty of nature. And they want to destroy it all make it private luxury resort because the "fell in love" with it spiritually? Barbarians, all the awful developers. Especially anyone associate with trump. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

theguardian.com

Look at the protests Jared Kushner has caused in Albania. This could be a shining light for Europe | Lea Ypi

The slogan ‘Albania is not for sale’ reveals a nation that respects itself, and will not sell its soul for investment, says author and academic Lea Ypi

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

So, #NicholasGalitzine has a new movie this weekend. Instead of watching, I thought I'd research the Golitsyn family--no relation--the most powerful princely family in Russia, with prime ministers, patrons, collectors, even the 'Queen of Spades'! dukesandprinces.org/2026/06/06/g...

dukesandprinces.org

Golitsyn Princes: Russian ministers from Peter the Great to Nicholas II

The Russian Empire in all its vastness had many, many princes. Some became fairly well known while others came and went in prominence in Russian history. One of the most enduring—with historical fi…

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

The Dukes of Galliera: an Italian duchy held by Genoese aristocrats then Orleans princes who act as Spanish infantes. Along the way, a Princess of Monaco and the owner of the Hotel de Matignon. In Two parts: The Brignole-Sale family and the Dukes of Montpensier dukesandprinces.org/2026/05/24/g...

dukesandprinces.org

Galliera (Part I): Brignole-Sale and the most amazing palazzi in Genoa

Once upon a time there was a shining city by the sea: Genoa. A fair city built on bustling trade with the eastern Mediterranean, its merchant-oligarchs created a republic in which a select number o…

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Enjoy Philippe d'Orleans on You're Dead To Me? Want to know more? Here's me a bit racier and less polished, discussing his sex life and the show #Versailles Enjoy! open.spotify.com/episode/2AdM...

open.spotify.com

Spotify – Web Player

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Dr Jonathan Spangler @jspan.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

Come along if you’re in the area!

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