Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It

Posted on August 11, 2022

I’ve been reading a lot of fiction recently, working my way though the trilogy of books about Miss Buncle by DE Stevenson. Set in the 1930s and 1940s they were light hearted and fun, just what I needed. But I was delighted to get my hands on Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It by Janina Ramirez. The author is an art historian and TV presenter and hugely entertaining and interesting to watch. I knew I would love to read her latest non-fiction book, Femina.

Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It

Extraordinary women have held positions of power throughout history. But, aside from the select few, why do we not hear about them?

The middle ages are seen as a bloodthirsty time of Vikings, Saints and Kings: a patriarchal society that oppressed and excluded women. But by digging a little deeper into the truth, drawing on evidence from all disciplines, we can see that the ‘dark’ ages were anything but. BBC historian Janina Ramirez has uncovered countless influential women’s names struck out of historical records, with the word FEMINA annotated beside them. Male gatekeepers of the past ordered books to be burnt, artworks to be destroyed, and new versions of myths, legends and historical documents to be produced, which has manipulated our view of history.

By weaving a vivid and evocative picture of the lives of the women who influenced their society, we discover not just why these remarkable individuals were removed from our collective memories, but also how many other misconceptions underpin our historical narratives, altering the course of history, upholding the oppressive masculine structures of their present, and affecting our contemporary view of the past.

Each chapter is an essay on a different woman, and are called Movers and Shakers, Decision Makers, Warriors and Leaders, Artists and Patrons, Polymaths and Scientists, Spies and Outlaws, Kings and Diplomats, and Exceptional and Outcast. The book weaves the stories of some well known historical figures with lesser known figures. I enjoyed reading each chapter, from the Loftus Princess to the black African woman buried in a London plague pit. Femina takes you on a grand tour of woman and their experiences in the medieval world, using archaeology, literature, art and more to bring them to life.

Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It by Janina Ramirez was published last month and is available from all good book shops.

Disclosure – thanks to NetGalley for a review copy