top of page
Welcome to my blog!
Hello, my name is Tristan and I'm a first-year history PhD researcher at Oxford.
The aim of this blog is to share my research and wider history on the early medieval world, help give any advice on applying to university and explaining about Oxford, and generally expanding engagement with the Humanities.
So if you fall under any of those categories, why not fill out the subscription box below to stay up to date.
An Oxford Historian
Jun 4, 20225 min read
What can nicknames tell us about history?
Recently, St Cross College ran their yearly history prize. This involved, among other things, producing a plain English explanation of...
3740
An Oxford Historian
Apr 23, 20221 min read
Nicknames of 'Disability' in Early Medieval England
Last term I attended a confernce put on by the American Names Society to present a paper based on my current PhD work on early medieval...
1,0950
An Oxford Historian
Nov 29, 20211 min read
'Viking' Nicknames in Landnámabók - my first publication!
Last year I attended the 10th Háskóli Íslands Student Conference on the Medieval North. Based in Iceland's capital Reykjavik, this...
2151
An Oxford Historian
Jul 5, 20213 min read
St Anskar, 'Apostle of the North'
This week we look at the Vita Ansgarii, the Life of Anskar - a hagiographical account of the Frankish mission to convert the 'Vikings' in...
3670
An Oxford Historian
Jul 4, 20212 min read
Herman Contractus - Early Medieval Disability
How did people in the early medieval period understand 'disability' and physical difference? This weeks Nickname of the Week focuses on...
1650
An Oxford Historian
Jun 13, 20212 min read
Nickname of the Week - Onund 'Treefoot'
The second installment in the Nickname of the Week series we take a look at Onund 'Treefoot', a disabled Viking from the Sagas, whose...
4380
An Oxford Historian
Jun 5, 20212 min read
Nickname of the Week - Simo 'White Death' Häyhä
In a new weekly series Nickname of the Week, focusing on historic nicknames and their origins, we take a look at the Second World War and...
2240
An Oxford Historian
Jun 5, 20212 min read
Nickname of the Week
This week I'm starting a new blog series - Nickname of the Week. In my research, I'm interested primarily in how nicknames work socially....
2450
An Oxford Historian
May 1, 20213 min read
Rude 'Viking' Nicknames
'Viking' nicknames are often shocking and offensive to the modern reader. In a continuation from previous articles, here are a number of...
20,5200
An Oxford Historian
Apr 21, 20211 min read
Icelandic 'Viking' Nicknames - My First Conference Paper
This last week I was fortunate enough to give a presentation at The Háskóli Íslands Student Conference on the Medieval North, a wonderful...
1,6590
An Oxford Historian
Feb 21, 20212 min read
Early Medieval Occupational Bynames
Another consistent theme in early medieval English naming is the presence of bynames/nicknames that reflect occupation and work. Not only...
1,6090
An Oxford Historian
Feb 13, 20213 min read
Early Medieval Nicknames #2
After many requests, here is the next installment of nicknames! This is part of a series - check back at the past articles on...
1,9040
An Oxford Historian
Feb 6, 20213 min read
Anglo-Saxon Royal Nicknames
One of the most commonly acknowledged forms of historical nicknames are those applied to monarchs - Charles the Bald, Bloody Mary, Robert...
1,5730
An Oxford Historian
Jan 16, 20213 min read
Obscene and Offensive Early Medieval Nicknames
FAIR WARNING - there are some naughty words below. One of the remarkable features of Early Medieval nicknames is their shock factor. The...
11,4350
An Oxford Historian
Jan 9, 20215 min read
Viking Nicknames in Landnámabók
#ComissionsEarned (This post includes Amazon Affiliate links)* As a continuation from my previous post about Anglo-Saxon nicknames, I...
4,4570
An Oxford Historian
Jan 2, 20213 min read
'Anglo-Saxon' Nicknames
What do 'Anglo-Saxon' nicknames look like, and what sources do they appear in? What trends and themes emerge? Understanding Nicknames My...
10,0434
My Instagram
Contact
bottom of page