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Very happy that my new special subject 'Participation, Splendour, and Violence: The Italian City-States, 1100-1350' has been officially approved and will be offered to final-year students Lancaster University & LancasterUniHistory from next academic year (2025-2026). Can't wait!

Decided to participate in LancasterUniHistory department’s Christmas bake-off this year. Baked a medieval manuscript cake. It’s called the Manuscake. Won the star baking prize!

In 1300, Florence’s Bardi and Peruzzi banks were undisputed champions of the lending field. They had won their spurs with their consummate mastery over commodities trading, but their vaulting ambition had encouraged them to enter into weak alliances with foreign lords and,

If you visited the communal palace of #Bologna in the 1200s you could have met the son of an emperor and.... a live lion! (From my forthcoming book) 🦁

I love that the notary Arasimino’s ‘signature’ was his face, and that he had slightly different moods each time (#medieval #notaries had their own signs with which they authenticated documents - this one is from 1294 and was active in #Bologna)

Excited to give this lecture Lancaster University the day before the beginning of the #conclave . The original topic should have been Italian city-communes but couldn’t possibly miss this historic opportunity. Expect many (medieval) pope-related tweets soon!