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@thisandthathistoryblog
The past is not past, is not an absolute difference; nor is the past conjoined to the present in continuity, in sameness. Past, present, and future are a temporal knot, thick with possibility even while impossible to fully untangle. Time is irregular, history is queer.
J J Cohen, “Early Modern”
A very insightful academic piece that revolves around periodization, and touches on a lot of the problems I have with it.
(via medievalpoc)
The most accurate surviving depiction of the dodo, from a Mughal Indian watercolor painted by Ustad Mansur circa 1625. More on how the dodo reached India here.
This is me meeting Philippa Gregory last Monday in York.
It was wonderful.
Meeting an idol: Philippa Gregory
The hall is filled with excited chatter. Perhaps the building excitement is due to the collective happiness in keeping dry from the thin rain outside, but most likely it a result of the fact that Philippa Gregory will walk through the door at any moment.
On 18th August 2014 I met Philippa Gregory. I met the wonderful historical fiction author whose books follow the fates of powerful Tudor and Plantagenet women in a world famous for its vivacious and downright dangerous men (yes, Henry VIII I am talking about you). She is the author of The Other Boleyn Girl, which became a brilliant screenplay starring Scarlet Johansson as Mary Boleyn and Natalie Portman as her more well-known sister, Anne. Additionally, the BBC series The White Queen (which I reviewed last year) is based upon Gregory’s work of the same name following the Plantagenet Queen/Witch (depending on which side of the War of the Roses you support), Elizabeth Woodville. She is a fantastic writer, truly bringing her characters to life long after their, sometimes awful, deaths.
Meeting her, for me, was like meeting a world famous pop-star to many, although admittedly less swooning and more history. She described how she chose the women she writes about, she said “I write these books because I have to tell someone! I have to let everyone know who this person was and recount their story”. I think that is wonderful. There are so many historical figures that I wouldn’t have researched without her books guiding me to the heart of their stories. Jane Rochford, Bess of Hardwick, Mary Boleyn, Elizabeth of York and even the young, beautiful Katherine of Aragon would have been shielded from my view by the “big players” within the Plantagenet and Tudor narratives.
I owe her so much. Gregory’s books sparked in me a further interest into the delightful realm of history from when I was merely eleven. I am twenty now and two-thirds of my way through a BA in History at the University of York; I owe my degree choice to the wonderful historical figures she brought to life on the page.
Thank you Philippa. You are wonderful.
Anne Boleyn in the Tower by Édouard Cibot, 1835.
Book Review: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is one of the best historical fiction books I have read in a long time. Maybe even ever.
Focusing upon the character Thomas Cromwell briefly from his childhood until the height of his career in courtly politics, Wolf Hall is a vivid, empathetic account of a historical figure who is often simplified as a destroyer of monasteries.
Through Cromwell’s eyes you can grasp the difficulties of working with the hot-headed, somewhat childish portrayal of King Henry VIII and the beautiful hardness of Anne Boleyn. As a figure who was the heart of the late Henrician court, Cromwell or ‘Cromweul’ as Anne pronounces it, is a perfect choice of narrator.
I implore anyone who is interested in Tudor Politics, the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn and of course the Tudors in general, to read this fantastic fictional account. Mantel truly brings Cromwell to life and offers an alternative view to his harsh reputation, choosing to focus upon his family relations and only loosely touching upon the dissolution of the monasteries, although not ignoring the importance of such actions.
I will be keeping a close eye on Mantel and her depictions of other historical figures.
London Bills of Mortality (pictured above in 1635 and 1665 respectively) have been largely ignored by historians studying cultural representations of disease, particularly plague. The Bills themselves acted as a record for the number of deaths within London, documented parish by parish in a weekly time-frame.
Scholars, such as Mark Jenner, have argued against such absence of study implying that these sources are not just statistical data but are a symbol of how those in the early modern period viewed disease.
For instance, the top picture depicts a skeleton brandishing an arrow and a hourglass in the forefront of the drawing, a reminder and interpretation of how death was all around those suffering from the plague epidemics. Additionally, by reading the title "Lord Have Mercy Upon Us" and acknowledging the group of figures in the left of the picture openly praying, we can deduce that plague was interpreted as a punishment from the Divine. These are just two of many cultural ideas which can be gathered from the London Bills of Mortality.
These sources give us fantastic insight into widespread ideas of disease as they were widely printed and distributed, were hung on doors, were occasionally sold (indicating the demand for such broadsheets) and were presented to the King in order for the advance of plague to be mapped; they reached all social classes.
London Bills of Mortality cannot be ignored as a cultural source when studying early modern ideas of disease.
So....He's Kind Of Right?
Galen of Pergamum, a prominent surgeon to Roman gladiators, demonstrated that blood, not air, filled arteries, as Hippocrates had concluded. However, he also believed that the heart acted as a low-temperature oven to keep the blood warm and that blood trickled from one side of the heart to the other through tiny holes in the heart.
Speaking of Historiography, here’s an excellent Princeton based collection of references and bibliographies regarding Chinese History up to the Qing Dynasty.
The history of photography is only about two hundred years old and the period when it was possible to take coloured pictures is a lot shorter than that. However, colour makes us perceive the image we view as more realistic. Fortunately, there are communities of colourizing black and white photography enthusiasts, such as r/ColorizedHistory (see […]
If you're interested in historic photographs and how the scene would have looked to contemporaries viewing it, then I suggest you click on this link!
Historical Dramas: A tale of “Wait. That didn’t happen”.
As a fan of history and therefore historical dramas, recently I have been watching a relatively new programme following the adventures of Mary Queen of Scots and her life at the French Court. Yes, I am talking about Reign.
Over recent years there has been a steady increase in popular historical dramas, particularly surrounding the Early Modern era, my favourite period of history. From The Tudors (2007-2010) to The Borgias (2011-2012) to The White Queen (2013), historical dramas are increasingly prevalent. Perhaps this is due to the beautiful costumes and the glorious landscapes employed, yet there is not just aesthetics involved when presenting history, accuracy is also significant.
Accuracy is usually the historical dramas downfall. Directors and Producers focus too much upon the ‘drama’ aspect and only believe that the only touch of ‘historical’ needed are characters named after figures from history. In extreme cases, such as Reign, the costumes are not precise with the time period either. How would a correctly portrayed costume deter from the ‘drama’ of the show? It is unnecessary laziness.
Now I am enjoying Reign as a drama. Despite my misgivings at the lack of historical accuracy, the plot itself, however inaccurate, is not dire. I am excited to see how the show ends (although historically the end was played out over four hundred years before).
Am I asking too much for real historical storylines to be portrayed for once in such dramas? Is true history really dull enough to be dismissed?
I speak for many historians when I say that historical dramas would be much more enjoyable if we weren’t grinding our teeth, sighing and exclaiming ‘Oh, come on!’ at the T.V. Please be accurate. Just once.
I HAVE BEEN AWAY FOR SO LONG BUT NOW I AM BACK.
And I will be writing a new post on what I think we should remember when watching Historical Dramas, focusing mostly upon Reign.
Welcome to all my new followers and hello to my old ones!
History love x
November, 1914, National Geographic advertisement. See more here.
Ever wondered how long it would take to travel from Rome to Constantinople at the peak of the Roman Empire? Or from Luna to Larissa? Or Parma to Thessalonica? This map of the Roman World created at Stanford University is awesomely realistic â all the ancient transportation lines on it actually existed 2,000 years ago.
“Yes, but what are you going to DO with History?”
Everyone has an idea, however vague, of what they want to accomplish in life or what they want to DO.
Botanist, Lawyer or Mechanic. These are all occupational answers adults take seriously when they ask the feared question “What are you going to DO with your life?” to a very frightened and confused teen/twenty-something year old.
Yet when I reply rather cheerfully to the above question, because unlike others I have luckily figured out early on what I want to do for the rest of my time on Earth, with one word “History”, there is a very pregnant pause. The further question is bubbling up, it’s growing from an exasperation to a full sentence and then:
“Yes, but what are you going to DO with History?”
It’s almost scornful. In fact it is scornful. Politely so, which of course makes the entire exchange even more irritating as there is the accusatory pity shining out of their eyes; poor dear she hasn’t even thought about what a hopeless case ‘history’ as a career is. Poor, poor mite.
History. I want to DO history.
For the rest of my life I want to study the past. I want to fall so hopelessly in love with history that all I can think about is Henry VIII’s unfortunate wives or be disputed as I force the idea of personal monarchy onto modern times. I love history so much that I can’t see my life without it. I wouldn’t give up history for a salary covering thousands; History pays me well enough in thought.
So give the pity eyes as I graduate with a degree that of course only has use through ‘transferable skills’, throw me pity flowers as I finish my Master’s degree in Early Modern History, take me out for a pity dinner when my name begins with ‘Dr’, and don’t you forget to sit right at the front of my very first lecture gazing with pity-filled eyes.
Don’t you forget the pity when you view me accomplishing and DOING something that I, God forbid, love as a career.
Don’t you forget the pity, so I can reflect it back to you from the shield made of love for what I do.
If any of you are interested in the events leading up to and around the famous date of 1066, check out this website.
It has a fantastic slideshow of the images of the Bayeux Tapestry and the English translations. Additionally, the site includes 'highlights' with extra information upon the subjects of the tapestry, the events, and the actual construction.
Ann Ford (later Mrs. Philip Thicknesse)
Artist/Maker:Thomas Gainsborough (British, b.1727, d.1788), painter
Date:1760
Cincinnati Art Museum
