In this post, Gillian Jack introduces her new book — 'Prostitution, Repentance and Social Welfare in Renaissance Florence. The Monastery of Sant’Elisabetta delle Convertite' — which is published in October 2026 as part of the Society’s ‘New Historical Perspectives’ series with University of London Press. From the fourteenth century, prostitutes in Florence were encouraged to leave their profession and spend their lives in repentance at the monastery of Sant’Elisabetta delle Convertite. Gillian’s is the first book-length study to put Sant’Elisabetta into its full historical context. 'Prostitution, Repentance and Social Welfare in Renaissance Florence' is the 27th title in the Society’s New Historical Perspectives series for early career historians. Gillian's book, and all other titles in the series are published free, Open Access, and in paperback print.

In this post, Dr Miguel Hernández argues that it is imperative for historians to introduce our students to responsible use of Generative AI, particularly given the growing ubiquity of the technology in search tools. Miguel explains the steps taken by his Department in response to an institution-wide call for specific policies on AI use in assessments, and explains in useful detail the process of developing a set of principles for Generative AI use for history students. This post is part of a series commissioned by the Royal Historical Society on 'AI and History Teaching in UK Higher Education' in Autumn 2026. The series includes a range of perspectives on the uses and limitations of Generative AI and LLMs from history educators and research academics.

In this post Dr Jesús Sanjurjo reflects on lessons learned from the use of AI in The Prison Blueprint Project, a research project led by the University of Strathclyde with the National Archive of Cuba and the universities of Glasgow and Havana, and supported by the UK Economic and Social Research Council. Jesús explains how he plans to draw four lessons from his research into his classroom this academic year. This post is part of a series commissioned by the Royal Historical Society on 'AI and History Teaching in UK Higher Education' in Autumn 2026. The series includes a range of perspectives on the uses and limitations of Generative AI and LLMs from history educators and research academics