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Matthías Aron Ólafsson

@matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social
1.6K followers 1.5K following 160 posts

Icelander in Ireland. Imperial and global history. PhD Candidate @historytcd.bsky.social & Early Career Research Fellow @tlrhub.bsky.social. Researching the commissioning of governance and policymaking in the Danish Oldenburg Empire in the long 18th c.

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Reposted by Matthías Aron Ólafsson
Princeton University Press @princetonupress.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
“Arthur der Weduwen has produced a work of fine scholarship and impressive literary skill,” says @litreview.bsky.social of The Last Invasion of England. Read more here (£): buff.ly/8ekuLcj
buff.ly
John Adamson - 1688 and All That
John Adamson: 1688 and All That - The Last Invasion of England: 1688 and the Dutch Armada by Arthur der Weduwen
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Reposted by Matthías Aron Ólafsson
Emile Chabal @emile-chabal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I am not given to hyperbole when it comes to university industrial relations, but this feels like an existential event. The heart of the university is being torn out, with long-lasting consequences. These strikes are a last-ditch attempt to stop that. Will anyone listen?
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I hope my first-year tutorial students appreciate Tosh as much as I did as an undergrad in Iceland all these years ago. Also quite handy that I still had my copy with me here in Dublin!
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John Gallagher @earlymodernjohn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I will always remember fondly the student who finished an essay with the line "In conclusion, the early modern period marked a massive shit in European history."
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Reposted by Matthías Aron Ólafsson
University College Dublin @ucddublin.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
🕵️‍♀️🏰 One of Dublin’s “lost” medieval castles has been found hiding in plain sight inside University College Dublin’s Roebuck Castle. @ucdarchaeology.bsky.social #archaeology
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Trinity Long Room Hub @tlrhub.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
🎉 The 2026 Trinity Arts & Humanities Research Festival starts TODAY! Join us for a day of conversation, ideas and research - from medical and health humanities and the Vatican Archives to imagining Ireland’s future and exploring great lost inventions. www.tcd.ie/trinitylongr...
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Joel Herman @joelherman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The schedule for the TCD Early Modern History Research Seminar is now up. Join us for the first seminar on the 5 October: Fara Dabhoiwala (Princeton University): “Race, Slavery, Religion, and Citizenship in the Atlantic World, 1655-1762: Ireland, Jamaica, and the family of Francis Williams”.
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Brodie Waddell @brodiewaddell.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Oct 1st, Save the date! Rosamund Oates will be talking about ‘Silent Histories: Deafness in Early Modern England' at @ihrscb.bsky.social in-person @ihr.bsky.social & online. #EarlyModern 🗃️ Booking details will soon be on: www.history.ac.uk/news-events/ihr-seminars/society-culture-belief-1500-1800
Rosamund Oates (Manchester Metropolitan University)
‘Silent Histories: Deafness in Early Modern England’

1 October 2026, in-person and online
Society, Culture and Belief, 1500-1800, at the Institute of Historical Research, London

Rosamund Oates shares previously untold stories of deaf men, women and children, showing how their experiences reveal contemporary beliefs about disability and humanity in early modern England.  Drawing on archival sources, she will explore how far deaf people were integrated into their communities, and show how Catholic and Protestant churches adapted to include sign language users from the medieval period onwards.  Lastly, she will explore the influence that deaf signers had on the broader culture of the period, showing their impact on artists, scientists and philosophers, including Christopher Wren and John Locke.

Venue and booking details will be available soon on our webpage:
www.history.ac.uk/news-events/ihr-seminars/society-culture-belief-1500-1800
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
On the morning of 22 September I will finally be presenting my 'Thesis in Five [minutes]' if you want you are around and want to hear a proper 'elevator pitch' of my research!
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Trinity Long Room Hub @tlrhub.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
What is democracy made of? Can machines know you better than you know yourself? Who gets to decide what matters? The Trinity Arts & Humanities Research Festival returns from 18-28 September, exploring some of the biggest questions of our time.
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Department of History, Trinity College Dublin @historytcd.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This term's schedule for the Research Seminar in Modern and Contemporary Irish History is here www.tcd.ie/history/rese...
tcd.ie
Trinity Research Centre for Contemporary Irish History Seminars - Department of History - Trinity College Dublin
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Department of History, Trinity College Dublin @historytcd.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This term's schedule for the Early Modern History Research Seminar is here: www.tcd.ie/history/rese...
tcd.ie
Early Modern History Research Seminar - Department of History - Trinity College Dublin
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Term begins!
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
If you are interested in the larger historical currents behind the EU referendum and Icelandic history generally:
engelsbergideas.com
The myth of Icelandic insularity
As Icelanders prepare to vote on resuming EU talks, the island's elites have spent centuries managing external influence to their advantage.
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Today’s result will mark a watershed moment in Icelandic history.
rte.ie
Icelanders go to polls in EU membership talks referendum
Voters in Iceland will take part in a referendum on whether or not to revive membership talks with the European Union, more than a decade after they were frozen.
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Reposted by Matthías Aron Ólafsson
Kári Ólafsson @kario.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Tim Curry 🌹 1946 - 2026 🥀
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Finally got myself a copy of this! Can't wait to get started and rediscover my adopted city.
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The Dalkey Lobster Festival was incredible. I was completley lobstered
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Engelsberg Ideas @engelsbergideas.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
A tour of history's great republics, ancient and modern, shows that civic education is the best defence against decay. Republics fall when they forget the past | Max Skjönsberg engelsbergideas.com/reviews/repu...
engelsbergideas.com
Republics fall when they forget the past
A tour of history's great republics, ancient and modern, shows that civic education is the best defence against decay.
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
At Jhonny Paranza’s kiosk by the harbour in Livorno you get the world’s best fritto di paranza. This place only opens when the catch comes in, and then it’s fried and sold while supplies last. First come, first served. Sapori di mare!
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Went on my own Odyssey early this morning and drove to Prato to see the 9:10 undubbed screening of The Odyssey. Definitely a different experience witnessing something like this before noon on a Monday. If you haven’t already, see it on the biggest IMAX screen you can find!
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
A hidden gem in Pisa. On display inside the Church of San Sisto is the Kufic Epitaph of Emir Ibn Aglab al-Murtaḍā of the Balearic Islands, from 1094. It ended up here as plunder from an 1114 Catalan-Pisan crusade waged against the islands but was only discovered in 1937. Anyone here know Kufic?
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Catch of the day in Livorno
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Engelsberg Ideas @engelsbergideas.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
As Icelanders prepare to vote on resuming EU talks, the island's elites have spent centuries managing external influence to their advantage. The myth of Icelandic insularity | Matthías Aron Ólafsson engelsbergideas.com/notebook/the...
engelsbergideas.com
The myth of Icelandic insularity
As Icelanders prepare to vote on resuming EU talks, the island's elites have spent centuries managing external influence to their advantage.
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Best Goodreads review of all time.
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
In light of the EU referendum in August, I wrote this short piece on Iceland’s relationship with Europe over the centuries and the enduring myths surrounding the island’s insularity.
engelsbergideas.com
The myth of Icelandic insularity
As Icelanders prepare to vote on resuming EU talks, the island's elites have spent centuries managing external influence to their advantage.
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Office of the day!
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Never forget!
bbc.co.uk
New Sweden: The US's long-lost 'secret' colony
It was the smallest, least-populated and shortest-lived colony in the US. But despite being virtually unheard of today, it helped shape the nation's birth 250 years ago.
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Reposted by Matthías Aron Ólafsson
Patrick walsh @speakerconolly.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Great new job as Professor of Early Modern Irish History at Dublin City University advertised today. universityvacancies.com/dublin-city-...
universityvacancies.com
Professor in Early Modern Irish History | University Vacancies Ireland
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
What a privilege it is to jump in the Ligurian Sea and watch the sunset after a hard day’s work in the sweltering heat here in Toskana.
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Riposa in pace Carlo Ginzburg.
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Briony Neilson @brionyneilson.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
In 'Guarding the Revolutionary Carceral System: Parisian Prison Concierges, 1789–1795' Leon Hughes explores how revolutionary authorities used carceral institutions to (re)produce social and political order in the volatile years of the Revolution doi.org/10.1215/0016... @leonhughes.bsky.social 4/7
doi.org
Guarding the Revolutionary Carceral System | French Historical Studies | Duke University Press
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
This is such a beautiful cover for a history book. Forest and Brännvin! We need more covers like this.
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Hildur Knútsdóttir @hildur.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Throwback to when a TV station in Iceland accidentally aired an episode of Teletubbies with subtitles from the Sopranos 👌🏼
Picture of a TV screen with teletubbies going to bed with the subtitles: I know you were high during my mother-in-laws wake
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Irish Committee of Historical Sciences - ICHS @irishhistorians.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Colleagues might consider signing this petition against the downgrading of AHSS research by Research Ireland openletter.earth/concern-abou...
openletter.earth
Concern about Research Ireland’s Strategy and Programme Plan
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
A pleasure to attend the COMLAWEU Conference “Proclaiming, Affixing, Distributing: Disseminating the Law in Early Modern Europe” in St Andrews this week. Brilliant papers and great discussions left me with much to reflect on during my journey home through Scotland and over the Irish Sea. Thank you!
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Early Modern Conflict, War and Violence Network @earlymodernwar.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
With only two weeks to go before our CfP closes, we are pleased to confirm this year’s conference activity: a tour of Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), led by our very own Zara Money @zara-money.bsky.social. Remember to send us your abstracts to earlymodernwar@gmail.com by 22 May!
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Ex-cathedral!
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Dr Francis Young @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
As universities collapse, we’ll see a proliferation of micro-universities, analogous to microstates - for why is it any *less* precarious to declare yourself Rector Magnificus of the University of East Runton and live in a static caravan wearing homemade robes and wielding a papier-mâché mace?
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
I guess it was here that they swung and hit that first ball.
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
@ St Andrews for the week! Attending and presenting at the 2nd COMLAWEU Conference titled "Proclaiming, Affixing, Distributing: Disseminating the Law in Early Modern Europe”. Really looking forward to this.
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Just sent an important email but somehow mispelled my own name when I signed it. I hope they know that I am in fact a serious person.
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Pump it!
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Finally got round to reading this and it was a bit underwhelming tbh—I feel that not only is its sum greater than its parts, but that the whole theoretical concept of “imagined communities” was hatched in the continuous discursive afterlife of the essay itself somehow. Hard to explain.
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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 07/04/2026
The #Artemis II astronauts said they needed more superlatives to describe their view of the eclipse, when the Sun was behind the Moon and its near surface was faintly illuminated by Earthshine
Captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, this image shows the Moon fully eclipsing the Sun. From the crew’s perspective, the Moon appears large enough to completely block the Sun, creating nearly 54 minutes of totality and extending the view far beyond what is possible from Earth. The corona forms a glowing halo around the dark lunar disk, revealing details of the Sun’s outer atmosphere typically hidden by its brightness. Also visible are stars, typically too faint to see when imaging the Moon, but with the Moon in darkness stars are readily imaged. This unique vantage point provides both a striking visual and a valuable opportunity for astronauts to document and describe the corona during humanity’s return to deep space. The faint glow of the nearside of the Moon is visible in this image, having been illuminated by light reflected off the Earth. [alt text from NASA]
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Don't really need more than this in a bio.
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
I might just start my thesis by arguing that it details "one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World."
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
When you were only going for one pint but... On 25 July 1765, a commission investigating a revolt in Bergen questioned one instigator, Jochum de Lange, who stated that "he was drunk and therefore rioted along with the others," and that he remembered neither what he did nor said "due to drunkenness".
A page from a protocol from a commission that investigated a revolt in Bergen in July 1765.
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Matthías Aron Ólafsson @matthiasaolafsson.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
The History of the Decline and Fall of the American Empire (LIVE)
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Kathleen Commons @kabcommons.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Really pleased to share my (open access!) article on immigration control in early modern England, feat. rights-bearing subjects, rightsless migrants, and experiments in immigration control
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