C.J. Adrien

Medieval Courses I teach courses for Medievalists.net designed for writers, reenactors, and lifelong learners who want to move beyond surface-level history.

Thank you :) I'm actually teaching a course through medievalists(dot)net coming up about all of the above. It's on my courses page: www.cjadrien.com/p/courses

The "Never Go Full Viking" Rule (And Why Your Novel Needs It) If you're an aspiring historical fiction writer interested in the medieval period, here is a preview of my upcoming course through Medievalists.net.

Never go full Viking!

open.substack.com/pub/cjadrien...

#writingcommunity #booksky #medievalsky #vikingsky #creativewriting

Day five of reading short excerpts from my novels about the Vikings in France.

#writingcommunity #booksky #medievalsky #vikingsky

Hey there, thank you for your kind words 🙏 Hasting’s story starts in the 820s and the first novel ends in 836. I’ve just finished book 6 which takes place in 853-854.

I get dozens of these per day. It’s never ending.

Day 4 of reading excerpts from my historical fiction novels about the Vikings in France.

#writingcommunity #booksky #medievalsky #vikingsky

Sylvestre explique le marketing d’une bonne guerre ! - Les Guignols - CANAL+ YouTube video by Les Guignols - CANAL+

Replace Bush with Trump, and Iraq with Iran and it’s a dead-ringer. “A ‘surgical’ strike is so named to make you think war saves lives. Surgeons save lives after all. In reality, it’s a computer guided explosive that razes an entire village.” How to make war sexy 🤣

youtu.be/SRutvN46Lgo?...

Day three of reading short passages from my books.

#writingcommunity #medievalsky #vikingsky #historicalfiction #author #booksky

On the advice of some friends, I shall endeavor to bring you one short reading per day from my novels, with little tidbits of information about the context/history. #writingcommunity #booksky #vikingsky #medievalsky

Molecular memories – tracing early medieval migrations and diet Using multi-isotope analysis, Sam Leggett’s fellowship focused on the role of food and diet and its link to mobility in early medieval Britain and Ireland

Using multi-isotope analysis @samleggs22.bsky.social’s Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social focused on the role of food and diet and its link to mobility in early medieval Britain and Ireland.
media.leverhulme.ac.uk/feature/sleg...
#InternationalWomensDay

A True and Perfect Viking: The Search for the Real Hasting Separating ninth-century history from 19th-century myths.

The historical Viking Hasting may be the titular character of my series The Saga of Hasting the Avenger, but he’s also a figure that was heavily mythologized by 19th-century historians:

www.cjadrien.com/p/a-true-and...

#medievalsky #history #writingcommunity #booksky #vikingsky

Under the Viking Yoke: A History of Early Medieval Brittany Under the Viking Yoke: A History of Early Medieval Brittany - Kindle edition by Adrien, C.J.. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Under the Viking Yoke: A History of Early Medieval Brittany.

Was the sovereign Kingdom of Brittany a historical reality or a masterpiece of medieval propaganda? Join author and historian C.J. Adrien as he holds the grand, romanticized 19th-century narratives of Breton independence up to the light.

geni.us/vikingbrittany

#medievalsky #booksky #vikingsky

Deal with the Devil: On The Bretons' Alliance with the Loire Vikings. The Bretons realized that there was an opportunity to hire Viking mercenaries to fight the Franks, but at what cost?

Remember that time the Bretons allied with the Vikings, and they killed Robert the Strong? Tumultuous times...

open.substack.com/pub/cjadrien...

#medievalsky #vikingsky #history #france #medievalists

Under the Viking Yoke: A History of Early Medieval Brittany A popularized narrative history of one of the Vikings' most fascinating conquests

I just released a popular history of Early Medieval Brittany, and I think you should get it ;)

open.substack.com/pub/cjadrien...

#medievalsky #vikingsky #booksky #history

Ivar the Boneless and his burial mound - separating fact from fiction YouTube video by SKULD

New YouTube video by @shieldofskuld.bsky.social youtu.be/XFGiwRdHBPg

This is fun. Also gives me a release date in book stores in the UK.

#booksky

How Emotional (or Not) Were the Vikings? It's a modern trope today they were unfeeling, but how did they express their emotions?

How emotional were the Vikings? I explore this question and how to write compelling medieval characters in my latest Substack post.

open.substack.com/pub/cjadrien...

#history #medievalsky #vikingsky #booksky #writingcommunity

What Caused the Viking Age? Podcast Episode · Gone Medieval · 01/27/2026 · 1h 10m

I was on Gone Medieval!

#vikingsky #medievalsky #history

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...

Annexion du Groenland : résister au chantage de Trump Afin de bloquer les projets impérialistes du locataire de la Maison Blanche, l’Union européenne doit innover et instaurer des droits de douane sur les oligarques américains.

Il faut taxer les milliardaires. Point.

open.substack.com/pub/gabrielz...

A True and Perfect Viking: The Search for the Real Hasting Separating ninth-century history from the medieval myths of a legendary warlord.

This week I explore what we know and don’t know about the Viking warlord Hasting, who is the MC in my award-winning historical fiction series.

www.cjadrien.com/p/a-true-and...

#vikingsky #medievalsky #history #writingcommunity

Was the Hundred Years' War a French Civil War? How the Succession Crisis that Contributed to the Opening of Hostilities Could be Viewed by a Different Lens.

Was the beginning of the Hundred Years' War really just a French Civil War? Let's see if my latest article convinces you! Had fun with it at least.

open.substack.com/pub/cjadrien...

#medievalsky #history #writingcommunity #medievalists

Hey, look, that'll be me teaching! 😇 Join me in 6 weeks to learn about why it's called the Hundred Years' War, why it happened, and how it changed the course of European history. Use promo code 'ADRIEN' for a discount.

#medievalsky #history #writingcommunity #booksky

The Inception, Evolution, and Legacy of Chivalry Explore the origins, cultural evolution, and decline of Chivalry in medieval Europe by examining its historical context, legal codification, literary expression, and lasting legacy from the early…

Check out this self-paced course: The Inception, Evolution, and Legacy of Chivalry, taught by @cjadrien.bsky.social medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/chiv... #chivalry

The rebrand of my series begins!

www.amazon.com/dp/B082NJ8HFB

#vikingsky #medievalsky #booksky #writingcommunity #historicalfiction #vikings

Early Medieval Brittany A.D. 800-1100 Trace the history of Brittany in the early medieval period, from Roman occupation and withdrawal to its rebellions and split from the Frankish Empire, Viking occupation and reconquest, and eventual…

Starting Next Week: Early Medieval Brittany A.D. 800-1100, taught by @cjadrien.bsky.social - sign up for this online course at medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/earl... #medievalists

2025: From the Belly of the Whale to the Land of Adventure. A reflection on the past year, and what's next in 2026

Happy New Year, everyone!

open.substack.com/pub/cjadrien...

#history #writingcommunity #medievalsky

How Old Is France? | C.J. Adrien's Critical Thinking Lab | Episode 3 YouTube video by C.J. Adrien

I made another one!

#history #medievalsky #historyteacher

youtu.be/NMhir7FVGMA?...

Why is it called the Hundred Years' War? | C.J. Adrien's Critical Thinking Lab | Episode 2 YouTube video by C.J. Adrien

Video two in my new series is out! Why do we call it the Hundred Years' War?

youtu.be/HDWFwI7jA9o

#medievalsky #history #criticalthinking

Hansen has his place in historical discourse. He shows us what can happen when we do not properly assess and question our own biases. Good fodder for teaching critical thinking.