Dr Matthew Firth

Associate Lecturer

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

place Bedford Park
GPO Box 2100, ADELAIDE, SA, 5001

Matthew is an Associate Lecturer in medieval literature and history at Flinders University. His research focuses on historiography, cultural memory, and the transmission of historical narrative across time and place. With research specialities in the history of early medieval England and in Scandinavian saga literature, he has published numerous articles on various aspects of society and culture in England and Scandinavia in the Middle Ages, and their intersections. His first monograph, a biographical study of English queens in the years 850-1000, was published in the Routledge Lives of Royal Women series in 2024. A second monograph based on his doctoral thesis is in preparation, also for publication with Routledge. Matthew is a Travelling Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH) (2024), and an Early Career Fellow of both the Australian Historical Association (AHA) (2024) and the Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (ANZAMEMS) (2023).

From 2025, Matthew will be an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow.

Matthew is assistant editor of the Brepols published series East Central Europe, 476–1795, reviews editor for the Journal of the Australian Early Medieval Association (AEMA), and Communications Officer for ANZAMEMS.


Most recent publications:

Matthew Firth, Early English Queens, 850–1000: Potestas Reginae (Routledge, 2024).

Matthew Firth, 'What's in a Name? Tracing the Origins of Alfred's "the Great"', The English Historical Review 139 (2024), 1-32).

Matthew Firth, 'The Vikings and Francia, 799–936', in The Routledge Handbook of French History, ed. David Andress (Routledge, 2024), 31-41.

Erin Sebo, Matthew Firth and Daniel Anlezark (eds), Emotional Alterity in the Medieval North Sea World (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023).

Qualifications

Bachelor of Arts, Religion, University of Sydney (2003)

Master of History, University of New England (2017)

Graduate Certificate in Arts, Classical Languages, University of New England (2018)

Honours, awards and grants

2024 AHA ECR Fellowship

2023 ANZAMEMS ECR Fellowship

2019-2022 Flinders University Research Scholarship

2021 Best HDR Publication - Runner Up (Flinders University)

2021 Horizon Award Platinum (Professional Engagement Award, Flinders University)

2020 Best HDR Publication - Runner Up (Flinders University)

2019 Society for Court Studies Essay Prize

2019 St Andrews Institute of Medieval Studies Essay Prize - Proxime accessit

Teaching interests

Topic Coordinator

ENGL2147 Medieval Myths: The Origins of Modern Fantasy (2023, 2024)

ENGL3113 Heroes, Monsters and Vikings: Early Medieval Language and Literature (2022, 2024)

ENGL3115 Medieval and Renaissance Women's Literature and Lives (2023)

Lecturer

ENGL1101 The Art of Storytelling (2023-24)

ENGL2133 Vikings and Anglo-Saxon Literature (2020)

ENGL2147 Medieval Myths: The Origins of Modern Fantasy (2022)

Tutor

ENGL1101 The Art of Storytelling (2021-24)

ENGL2147 Medieval Myths: The Origins of Modern Fantasy (2022)

HIST2009 Nazi Germany: Its Origins and Nature, 1870-1945 (2021)

Marking

ENGL1101 The Art of Storytelling (2021-23)

ENGL2146 The Gothic Tradition (2020)

ENGL2147 Medieval Myths: The Origins of Modern Fantasy (2022)

HIST2009 Nazi Germany: Its Origins and Nature, 1870-1945 (2021)

Topic coordinator
ENGL2147 Medieval Myths: The Origins of Modern Fantasy
ENGL3115 Medieval and Renaissance Women's Literature and Lives
ENGL3113 Heroes, Monsters, and Vikings: Early Medieval Language and Literature
Expert for media contact
History - British
History - European
Literature - English
Early Medieval England (Anglo-Saxons)
Icelandic Sagas
Medieval Literature
Medieval Queens
Medieval Scandinavia
The Middle Ages
Vikings and Viking Age History
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Or contact the media team
Researcher
Media expert
Media expertise
  • History - British
  • History - European
  • Literature - English
Interests
  • Early Medieval England (Anglo-Saxons)
  • Icelandic Sagas
  • Medieval Literature
  • Medieval Queens
  • Medieval Scandinavia
  • The Middle Ages
  • Vikings and Viking Age History
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