Author Spotlight: Anastasija Ropa
This week, we feature another recent author in our 'Author Spotlight': Dr. Anastasija Ropa.
- What have you contributed to Medieval World?
Two articles: "From coursers to hackneys: Medieval horses and the people who rode them," (pp. 16-21) and "The mirror of man: The horse and rider metaphor" (pp. 34-37) in the special issue on the horse in the Middle Ages (MWCC.17).
- Tell us a bit about your background as an historian. What edge do you think it gives you as an author and as an historian?
I hold a PhD for a thesis on Arthurian literature from Bangor University in North Wales, but my most recent work is in horse history. Additionally, I am a lecturer at the Latvian Academy of Sport Education, Riga Stradinsh University. An equestrian, horse trainer and owner of many years, my work on horse history brings together my academic expertise and my experience in equestrian sports.
- Do you have a favourite event or figure or object from Middle Ages?
Sir Thomas Malory, the author of La Morte dArthur romance, who lived during the War of Roses. As a knight and writer, he must have had a life full of adventure. Research into his biography suggests that he must have had strong opinions and was surprisingly good at choosing the wrong side in political conflicts.
- Tell us a bit about your research and writing process. What research do you usually undertake for your articles? What is the perfect environment for you to write?
Ideas for research come to me when I am actually on horseback, usually when I am cooling down a horse after a riding session. This is when I plan the research I need to undertake, the resources, the people to collaborate with. The next stage is to examine my primary sources: medieval literature, administrative documents, visual sources. For secondary sources, I study not only research into history, but also specialized literature on horse behavior, management and training.
My perfect writing environment is wherever I have a level spot, can put my laptop and see my horses and goats. I once wrote a draft article sitting on a hay bail with curious horses looking at me over the fence and a nanny goat coming to beg for treats.
- What do you find most valuable about this magazine?
I like the fact it’s written by academics for a wide range of readers, non-academics
- What book(s) are you currently reading?
I am reading a collective monograph by Oliver Creighton et al., Medieval Warhorse. Equestrian Landscapes, Material Culture and Zooarchaeology in Britain AD 800-1550 (Liverpool University Press, 2025). The previous one was Emma Herbert-Davies’s The Warhorse in England, 1272-1327 (Trivent, 2025).
- What book(s) on medieval history and culture would you recommend to our readers?
I really enjoyed reading Harriet Jean Evans Tang’s Animal-Human Relationships in Medieval Iceland (Boydell and Brewer, 2022) – it’s not just horses, but all the agricultural animals, and it’s very rare to have a holistic approach. Plus the author uses sources that are rarely used together – archaeology, law codes and sagas.
I also find the University of Wales series Medieval Animals pretty awesome. They have pocket-sized books introducing different animals, and my absolute favorite is Thomas Honegger’s Introducing the Medieval Dragon (2020).
- Tell us a bit about your current project(s).
I am editor of the Rewriting Equestrian History book series. Not all of our books are about medieval history, but all of them have at least some medieval materials. The first book is my monograph Practical Horsemanship in Medieval Arthurian Romance.