Dr Matthew Firth

Associate Lecturer

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

place Bedford Park (HUMN236A)
GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Matthew is 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. He is currently working on his first monograph, a biographical study of English queens-consort in the years 850-1000, scheduled for publication the Routledge Lives of Royal Women series.

Matthew is the current editor of Cerae Journal, an assistant editor of the Brepols published series East Central Europe, 476–1795, the reviews editor for the Journal of the Australian Early Medieval Association (AEMA), and an AEMA committee member..

Most recent publications:

Matthew Firth, 'Identifying Queenship in Pre-Conquest England,' in Norman to Early Plantaganet Consorts: Power, Influence, Dynasty, ed. Aidan Norrie et al. (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2023), 17-45.

Matthew Firth and Cassandra Schilling, 'The Lonely Afterlives of Early English Queens', Neophilologus 107 (2023), 127-43.

Erin Sebo and Matthew Firth, 'Saxo Grammaticus's Account of the Viking Age Site on the Danish Island of Hjarnø in Gesta Danorum', Scandinavian Studies 95, 2 (2023), 166-82.

John Mccarthy, Erin Sebo and Matthew Firth, 'Parallels for cetacean trap feeding and tread-water feeding in the historical record across two millennia', Marine Mammal Science (2023, eprint).

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

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 The Mediæval Journal Essay Prize - Proxime accessit

2018 New England Award (Professional Engagement Award, University of New England)

2017 Cerae Journal Essay Prize – Best Postgraduate/ECR Paper (Volume 3)

Teaching interests

Topic Coordinator

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

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

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

Lecturer

ENGL2133 Vikings and Anglo-Saxon Literature (2020)

ENGL2147 Medieval Myths: The Origins of Modern Fantasy (2022-23)

Tutor

ENGL1101 The Art of Storytelling (2021, 2022)

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)

Expert for media contact
History - British
History - European
Literature - English
Cultural Memory & Exchange
Early Medieval England (Anglo-Saxons)
Early Medieval Monarchy
Icelandic Sagas
Medieval Iceland
Medieval Literature
Pre-Modern English Queenship
The Middle Ages
Vikings and Viking Age History
Available for contact via
Or contact the media team
+61 8 82012092
0427 398 713
Researcher
Media expert
Media expertise
  • History - British
  • History - European
  • Literature - English
Interests
  • Cultural Memory & Exchange
  • Early Medieval England (Anglo-Saxons)
  • Early Medieval Monarchy
  • Icelandic Sagas
  • Medieval Iceland
  • Medieval Literature
  • Pre-Modern English Queenship
  • The Middle Ages
  • Vikings and Viking Age History
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