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Tim Schmalz @timschmalz.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

A beautiful reflection in @ahy-history.bsky.social on the life's work of Pieter Judson written by Tara Zahra, as well as on the use of the history of Central Europe to understand the present, and the responsibility of historians to inform the debate. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

cambridge.org

What Good Is Habsburg History When the World Is on Fire? | Austrian History Yearbook | Cambridge Core

What Good Is Habsburg History When the World Is on Fire?

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A building with a unique history in central London - 9 Carlton House Terrace. A fascinating site of interwar diplomacy on the eve of war. @uk.diplo.de @germanhistsoc.bsky.social @ghilondon.bsky.social

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Hoesch was critical of Hitler’s foreign policy and sparked a feud over Germany’s re-militarisation of the Rhineland in March 1936. His untimely death the following month enabled Hitler to appoint a more sympathetic agent - Joachim von Ribbentrop - to London. @uk.diplo.de @germanhistsoc.bsky.social

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Hoesch’s funeral cortège received an escort from the Grenadier Guards & was followed by Britain’s leading diplomats including the foreign minister and a young Prince Philip as it made its ways past Buckingham Palace to Victoria Station. @uk.diplo.de @germanhistsoc.bsky.social @ghilondon.bsky.social

It might surprise you to see the swastika flag of the Nazi Party draped over von Hoesch’s casket in 1936 coming on to Pall Mall in central London, but remember that Britain would not go to war with Nazi Germany for over three years. @uk.diplo.de @germanhistsoc.bsky.social @ghilondon.bsky.social

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It pays to pause and recognise the history around you. ‘Giro’ was the pet dog of Leopold von Hoesch, the German ambassador to London 1932 (that’s pre-Nazis) to 1936. @uk.diplo.de @ghilondon.bsky.social @germanhistsoc.bsky.social

And, of course, Violet Bonham Carter was the grandmother of #HelenaBonhamCarter, the talented actress behind Bellatrix Lestrange. 🪄😉 So that's your Anglo-Austrian diplomatic history fun fact of the day! 🇬🇧🤝🇦🇹(🧙‍♀️) #IfAustriaPerishes

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Bonham Carter was a crucial intermediary between Selby & those in London with similar sympathies for beleaguered Austria. She promised Selby that she 'would leave no stone unturned' to help enable him in his mission to protect Austria & used her network to try to rally support. #IfAustriaPerishes

The daughter of Lord Asquith, a former Prime Minister, Violet Bonham Carter was fiercely anti-appeasement and a politician in her own right, serving as two-time president of the Women's Liberal Federation and the first woman president of the Liberal Party. She was a staunch defender of Austria.

On the top of the backside of one of the letters there was some writing that was written sideways in the upper margin. I tilted my computer screen to read what was scribbled, and there it was at last...Violet Bonham Carter! 🤩 'VBC' wasn't a 'he' - 'VBC' was a *she*! 🤯🙌 #IfAustriaPerishes

2.5 years into the project, I revisited the hundreds of photographs of the handwritten letters I had taken at @bodleian.ox.ac.uk to see once again if I had overlooked the key clue (MS. Eng. c. 6587, in case you're interested!). Nothing. 😩 But then... #IfAustriaPerishes

'VBC' certainly moved in important circles. In 1 letter alone, 'VBC' mentions having dinner/drinks/parties with 2 Prime Ministers, PUS of State for Foreign Affairs Anthony Eden (who later became PM) & @austriainuk.bsky.social's Baron Franckenstein (the Austrian Ambassador) - who *was* he?!

Reverse-checking the several addresses that appeared in VBC's letterhead over the years (they were some pretty ritzy residences near Hyde Park!), cross-referencing indexes, and scouring my other sources all left me empty handed. 'VBC' remained an enigma. Gah! 😱😱😱

Early in his tenure in Vienna, Selby struck up a series of correspondence with a mysterious friend, 'VBC', with whom he confided his fears and hopes about Austria's future. Now, 'VBC' is the vital link to 'the boy who lived'. Dozens and dozens of letters were exchanged...but I needed a *name*! 🙃

Selby was the British Ambassador to #Austria 🇦🇹 for much of the 1930s. Frustrated with the Foreign Office's 'empty promises of support' for Austria in the face of Nazi Germany, Selby sought the help of friends in high places in order to sidestep official diplomatic channels. 🆘 #IfAustriaPerishes

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What's the connection between Sir Walford Selby and Bellatrix Lestrange? 🤔 For 2.5 years during my PhD I worked on a riddle that concerns @austriainuk.bsky.social and the British Embassy in Vienna, and resulted in an unexpected link to #HarryPotter! Read on to follow my discovery! 👇

Tim Schmalz @timschmalz.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Great to attend the fourth Hella Pick lecture on 'Charting a Landscape of Antisemitism and Radicalisation Online and Offline' with talks from @isdglobal.bsky.social's Julia Ebner and @oeaw.bsky.social's Gerald Lambrecht at the Austrian Cultural Forum in London last night. @austriainuk.bsky.social

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Tim Schmalz @timschmalz.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

And while I'm flattered by the erroneous title Histoflick gave me, although I earned my PhD from @camhistory.bsky.social and was a temporary lecturer in Modern European History, of course presently I'm Head of History at Radley College.

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Tim Schmalz @timschmalz.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Great programme! If ever this project expands to include the 1930s, I'd love to get involved by sharing what I've discovered about Austria's consular network in the UK, 1933-38.

Tim Schmalz @timschmalz.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

That's what it might take these days, too!

Tim Schmalz @timschmalz.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Rosamond McKitterick (1949-2026) A formidable scholar, an inspiring teacher, a generous spirit and a supportive colleague - truly, we have lost one of the great ones. @sidneysussex.bsky.social @camhistory.bsky.social @camedieval.bsky.social

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Tim Schmalz @timschmalz.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

So great to meet @chriswiederkehr.bsky.social and Austrian-British educators at @austriainuk.bsky.social this week. Thinking through the challenges of AI, the environment and geopolitics across borders brings minds together to solve global issues. What a great forum for discussion! 🇦🇹🤝🇬🇧

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Tim Schmalz @timschmalz.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Radley College are back-to-back national champions of the English-Speaking Union's Schools' Mace debating competition - the oldest and largest in the UK. As Master-in-Charge of Debating at Radley, I shared some thoughts on our success with @theesu.bsky.social. www.esu.org/news-and-vie...

esu.org

‘Debating is a tool for how you actually live in the real world’ | ESU

Tim Schmalz, Head of History and debating lead at Radley College, twice winners of the ESU Schools’ Mace debating competition, tells us the secrets of his teams’ success, and why debating is such a us...

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Tim Schmalz @timschmalz.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

I remember fondly taking a seminar on police states with him at Georgetown a decade ago - a masterful teacher.

Tim Schmalz @timschmalz.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

What a fascinating conference theme - I'm already looking forward to the proceedings! Like @tamarascheer.bsky.social, I'm similarly not at a stage where I can submit, but am curious to see what emerges from the archives for this one!

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Tim Schmalz @timschmalz.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Looking forward to Oliver Rathkolb (@univie.ac.at) speaking on 'The Hidden Impact of Allied Cultural Policies and the Austrian Exile Community' at the Austrian Cultural Forum next Thursday. @austriainuk.bsky.social @ghilondon.bsky.social RSVP 👇 www.acflondon.org/events/the-a...

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Tim Schmalz @timschmalz.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

After Robert Lackner's fascinating talk on 'Austrian Refugees in the British Army' at the Austrian Cultural Forum in London, it was excellent to be in conversation with him about his research project and the complexities of wartime British-Austrian relations. @austriainuk.bsky.social @lbg.ac.at

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Tim Schmalz @timschmalz.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

I saw this on the term card, and am sorry that I'm out of town this week - hope it goes well, Becca!