Luke Daly

Medieval historian and author of Women of the Middle Ages and Medieval Saints and their Sins. Was listed in BBC HistoryExtra's '30 Under 30' in 2025.

[Luke Daly @LukeDaly99]

There is something faintly surreal about staging a full contact buhurt exhibition at Norfolk Tank Museum. The clangour of steel, the measured violence of axe and shield, and the sudden collapse of bodies into the dust unfold in the shadow of modern armoured machines. Yet what impresses itself most forcefully is not the spectacle but the heat. At 26 degrees, enclosed within layers of padding and steel, the body labours quickly. Breath shortens, the limbs grow heavy, and precision gives way, if one is not careful, to mere exertion. It becomes an exercise not in aggression but in management, in conserving energy, maintaining awareness, and resisting the creeping dullness that fatigue imposes upon the mind.

Such conditions offer, in a modest way, a point of reflection upon the men of the thirteenth century whose world I study. Knights did not fight for brief exhibitions but campaigned in climates far hotter than our own, in southern France or the Levant, encased in armour that afforded little comfort and less ventilation. Their exertions were sustained and exacting, demanding not only strength but resilience and discipline under strain. Even a short encounter in such heat is enough to suggest the stamina that must have underpinned medieval warfare, and to temper any easy romanticism with a more sober respect.

[Luke Daly @LukeDaly99]

Self-publishing still sits uneasily alongside traditional academic and commercial publishing. Nevertheless, today I learned that my self-published book 'Medieval Latin: A Beginner's Self-Taught Guide' has surpassed 500 copies sold, across the UK and internationally.

By most commercial standards, this is modest. Yet within the world of self-publishing, it carries a different weight for it is often noted, somewhat soberingly, that:

Around 90% of self-published books sell fewer than 100 copies in their lifetime.

Against that backdrop, 500 feels significant as a reminder that readership, however small or dispersed, is real. In some ways, this is especially rewarding as, unlike traditional publishing, I am not only the author but also the editor, proofreader, marketer, and publicist.

More than sales, however, this book has opened doors. It has led to conversations, invitations, and opportunities that would have been difficult to access otherwise. In that sense, its value cannot be measured in numbers alone. It allows ideas to circulate, voices to emerge, and careers, in some cases, to take shape in unexpected ways.

I remain deeply grateful to those who have read, shared, or supported the book, and to the possibility that self-published work can, indeed, find its place.

#Publishing #SelfPublishing #Books #AcademicWriting #HistoryBooks #MedievalHistory #WritingCommunity #BookMilestone #NonFiction

[Brigitte Webster @tudorfoodrecipe]

Another book arrival. Starting to get ready for October @LukeDaly99

[Luke Daly @LukeDaly99]

My 'Walsingham Way' video is now up and live on The Daly Medieval Podcast Channel!

Link: https://t.co/TOrUh7bfl3

It is easy, from the distance of historical study, to consider medieval pilgrimage in abstract terms: devotion, obligation, penitence. But walking even a short stretch of such a route brings into sharper focus the material realities that underpinned it. The medieval pilgrim did not have the luxuries I carried. There was no convenient means of taking an Uber home. One continued, or one did not. Not because it was comfortable, but because it was necessary.

I set out recently to walk the Walsingham Way, that somewhat well-trodden path from Norwich to the shrine village that, in the later Middle Ages, stood among the most revered pilgrimage destinations in Europe. The distance, some thirty-seven miles, is not, by most modern standards, formidable - especially in comparison to the famed 500 miles of the Camino de Frances. Nevertheless, despite having completed this pilgrimage to Walsingham last year, it became apparent, rather sooner than I had anticipated, that I had misjudged the undertaking.

[Luke Daly @LukeDaly99]

My 'Walsingham Way' video is now up and live on The Daly Medieval Podcast Channel!

Link: https://t.co/pH4ANjXTwn

It is easy, from the distance of historical study, to consider medieval pilgrimage in abstract terms: devotion, obligation, penitence. But walking even a short stretch of such a route brings into sharper focus the material realities that underpinned it. The medieval pilgrim did not have the luxuries I carried. There was no convenient means of taking an Uber home. One continued, or one did not. Not because it was comfortable, but because it was necessary.

I set out recently to walk the Walsingham Way, that somewhat well-trodden path from Norwich to the shrine village that, in the later Middle Ages, stood among the most revered pilgrimage destinations in Europe. The distance, some thirty-seven miles, is not, by most modern standards, formidable - especially in comparison to the famed 500 miles of the Camino de Frances. Nevertheless, despite having completed this pilgrimage to Walsingham last year, it became apparent, rather sooner than I had anticipated, that I had misjudged the undertaking.

[Luke Daly @LukeDaly99]

My 'Walsingham Way' video is now up and live on The Daly Medieval Podcast Channel!

Link: https://t.co/pH4ANjXTwn

It is easy, from the distance of historical study, to consider medieval pilgrimage in abstract terms: devotion, obligation, penitence. But walking even a short stretch of such a route brings into sharper focus the material realities that underpinned it. The medieval pilgrim did not have the luxuries I carried. There was no convenient means of taking an Uber home. One continued, or one did not. Not because it was comfortable, but because it was necessary.

I set out recently to walk the Walsingham Way, that somewhat well-trodden path from Norwich to the shrine village that, in the later Middle Ages, stood among the most revered pilgrimage destinations in Europe. The distance, some thirty-seven miles, is not, by most modern standards, formidable - especially in comparison to the famed 500 miles of the Camino de Frances. Nevertheless, despite having completed this pilgrimage to Walsingham last year, it became apparent, rather sooner than I had anticipated, that I had misjudged the undertaking.

[Luke Daly @LukeDaly99]

Looking forward to embarking once again on a 3-day pilgrimage to Walsingham from Norwich for Easter 🐣 meandering through the landscape is both historically and spiritually fulfilling

[Luke Daly @LukeDaly99]

Amazing pics from yesterdays #Buhurt Training

[Pen & Sword Books @penswordbooks]

💜 Women's History Month 💜

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Medieval Ideas of Women 👀

Check out our guest post from @LukeDaly99 🔗➡️ https://t.co/b6xmLQVLOC

[Luke Daly @LukeDaly99]

It feels like the world can be a little heavy at the moment, so I’m trying, in my own small way, to add a bit of light back where I can.

I’m excited to share that I’ll be taking on the Lake District Mighty Hike, a 26-mile full marathon-length hike on 6th June 2026 to raise vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

With every step I take and every mile I walk, I hope to help Macmillan continue providing essential support, care, and compassion to people living with cancer across the UK.

I’d be incredibly grateful if you could:
👉 Support my challenge by visiting my fundraising page:
https://t.co/HKCXHkxxBG
👉 Share this post to help spread the word
👉 Or simply send a bit of encouragement, as it all makes a difference!

Whether it’s £2 or £20, every donation helps people access the care they need when it matters most. 💚

Thank you in advance for your support. This hike won’t be easy, but it’ll be absolutely worth it. Let’s make a Mighty difference together!

#Macmillan #CharityChallenge #MightyHikes #Fundraising #CancerSupport

[Memory Medieval @MemoryMedieval]

I was BLOWN AWAY to learn in episode 24 of the podcast with @LukeDaly99 that churches were going in debt (to Italian merchants) and running up these insane, unsustainable financial situations BUT STILL eating twelve course meals and carrying on as if nothing was wrong... until it was too late!

Just like modern states are doing with their debts today!

You can find the links to the episode in the HIGHLIGHTS tab on my profile if you want to listen.

[Luke Daly @LukeDaly99]

Must remember in the middle ages, particularly 13th century we arent talking millions - annual income of Canterbury was around £2000. Often these merchants would loan anywhere from £100 to £400.

If they werent repaid then interest was added. If it got too great then merchants often had the backing of the papacy or king. Dont pay = excommunication. It almost happened to Archbishop Pecham in the late 13th century but he was able to gather funds
funds.

[P&S History @PSHistory]

💜 Women's History Month 💜

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Medieval Ideas of Women 👀

Check out our guest post from @LukeDaly99 🔗➡️ https://t.co/aBeHONxymH

[Luke Daly @LukeDaly99]

It feels like the world can be a little heavy at the moment, so I’m trying, in my own small way, to add a bit of light back where I can.

I’m excited to share that I’ll be taking on the Lake District Mighty Hike, a 26-mile full marathon-length hike on 6th June 2026 to raise vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

With every step I take and every mile I walk, I hope to help Macmillan continue providing essential support, care, and compassion to people living with cancer across the UK.

I’d be incredibly grateful if you could:
👉 Support my challenge by visiting my fundraising page:
https://t.co/HKCXHkxxBG
👉 Share this post to help spread the word
👉 Or simply send a bit of encouragement, as it all makes a difference!

Whether it’s £2 or £20, every donation helps people access the care they need when it matters most. 💚

Thank you in advance for your support. This hike won’t be easy, but it’ll be absolutely worth it. Let’s make a Mighty difference together!

#Macmillan #CharityChallenge #MightyHikes #Fundraising #CancerSupport

[Medieval Diesel @TimothyEveland]

Never stop posting medieval manuscripts

[Pen & Sword Books @penswordbooks]

#NewBook 📖 - Women of the Middle Ages by @LukeDaly99

✨ For too long, medieval women have been overshadowed by queens, saints and warriors. This book brings the focus back to the everyday women whose lives shaped the medieval world.

🛒 https://t.co/UX65WPNwqH

[Medievalists.net @Medievalists]

Women Beyond the Cross: Power, Myth, and Agency in the Viking World, by @LukeDaly99
https://t.co/wKjwvIKTkh #medievalwomen #vikings #norse

[P&S History @PSHistory]

🔉 Now in stock - Women of the Middle Ages by @LukeDaly99

💜 This book brings the focus back to the everyday women whose lives shaped the medieval world.

Save 20% off the RRP here ➡️ https://t.co/voquj3l3pC

[Pen & Sword Books @penswordbooks]

#NewBook 📖 - Women of the Middle Ages by @LukeDaly99

✨ For too long, medieval women have been overshadowed by queens, saints and warriors. This book brings the focus back to the everyday women whose lives shaped the medieval world.

🛒 https://t.co/UX65WPNwqH

[P&S History @PSHistory]

Women of the Middle Ages by @LukeDaly99 is out now! 💫

✨ Meticulously researched and vividly told, it reveals the lived experiences of ordinary women – the women who made the Middle Ages work, even when history forgot their names.

🛒 https://t.co/voquj3l3pC