Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It
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- Create Date：2022-07-22 12:16:36
- Update Date：2025-09-24
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- Author：Janina Ramírez
- ISBN：0753558254
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Summary
"I am the fiery life of divine substance， I blaze above the beauty of the fields， I shine in the waters， I burn in sun， moon and stars" - Hildegard of Bingen （1098 - 1179）
The middle ages are seen as a bloodthirsty time of Vikings， saints and kings: a patriarchal society which oppressed and excluded women。 But when we dig a little deeper into the truth， we can see that the 'dark' ages were anything but。
Oxford and BBC historian Janina Ramirez has uncovered countless influential women's names struck out of historical records， with the word FEMINA annotated beside them。 As gatekeepers of the past ordered books to be burnt， artworks to be destroyed， and new versions of myths， legends and historical documents to be produced， our view of history has been manipulated。
Only now， through a careful examination of the artefacts， writings and possessions they left behind， are the influential and multifaceted lives of women emerging。 Femina goes beyond the official records to uncover the true impact of women like Jadwiga， the only female King in Europe， Margery Kempe， who exploited her image and story to ensure her notoriety， and the Loftus Princess， whose existence gives us clues about the beginnings of Christianity in England。 See the medieval world with fresh eyes and discover why these remarkable women were removed from our collective memories。
The middle ages are seen as a bloodthirsty time of Vikings， saints and kings: a patriarchal society which oppressed and excluded women。 But when we dig a little deeper into the truth， we can see that the 'dark' ages were anything but。
Oxford and BBC historian Janina Ramirez has uncovered countless influential women's names struck out of historical records， with the word FEMINA annotated beside them。 As gatekeepers of the past ordered books to be burnt， artworks to be destroyed， and new versions of myths， legends and historical documents to be produced， our view of history has been manipulated。
Only now， through a careful examination of the artefacts， writings and possessions they left behind， are the influential and multifaceted lives of women emerging。 Femina goes beyond the official records to uncover the true impact of women like Jadwiga， the only female King in Europe， Margery Kempe， who exploited her image and story to ensure her notoriety， and the Loftus Princess， whose existence gives us clues about the beginnings of Christianity in England。 See the medieval world with fresh eyes and discover why these remarkable women were removed from our collective memories。
Reviews
Gill M
，
They say that history is written by the victors and for much of time， men have been victorious。 Thus， history has concentrated on the actions and personalities of men。 In Femina， Janina Ramirez seeks to redress the balance by providing fascinating portraits of a range of exceptional Medieval women。 Femina shines with Ramirez's enthusiasm for sharing her Medieval favourites。 An enjoyable read for both， those already familiar with the Medieval period and the newly introduced。 I received a free cop They say that history is written by the victors and for much of time， men have been victorious。 Thus， history has concentrated on the actions and personalities of men。 In Femina， Janina Ramirez seeks to redress the balance by providing fascinating portraits of a range of exceptional Medieval women。 Femina shines with Ramirez's enthusiasm for sharing her Medieval favourites。 An enjoyable read for both， those already familiar with the Medieval period and the newly introduced。 I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review。 All views expressed are my own。 。。。more
Annarella
，
I've always been fascinated by women in Middle Age and their role in history。 You can start with Matilda of Tuscany who played a relevant role in the dispute between the pope and the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI to mystics like Hildegarde or Julian of Norwich。They role is often downplayed or their name are not as well known as they should be。This is a good book， well researched and honest。 I was hooked since the fascinating introduction and didn't stop till the last page。The author is an excellen I've always been fascinated by women in Middle Age and their role in history。 You can start with Matilda of Tuscany who played a relevant role in the dispute between the pope and the Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI to mystics like Hildegarde or Julian of Norwich。They role is often downplayed or their name are not as well known as they should be。This is a good book， well researched and honest。 I was hooked since the fascinating introduction and didn't stop till the last page。The author is an excellent storyteller and I learned something new。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Bec
，
A fascinating book which puts women back into history where they belong。 It is a real eye opener to how wrong we are to see our history as set in stone when so much of the truth is lost in both ancient and modern propaganda。 Personally I preferred those stories of individuals like Aethelflaed， Hildegard， Hedwig and Margery Kempe。 Through the artefacts and records put together by the author I felt I was able to really get a sense of who these amazing women were， what their lives might have been A fascinating book which puts women back into history where they belong。 It is a real eye opener to how wrong we are to see our history as set in stone when so much of the truth is lost in both ancient and modern propaganda。 Personally I preferred those stories of individuals like Aethelflaed， Hildegard， Hedwig and Margery Kempe。 Through the artefacts and records put together by the author I felt I was able to really get a sense of who these amazing women were， what their lives might have been like and how they made real differences to our history。 I found real inspiration in some of their stories and awe at what they achieved in a time we think of as being so primitive。 For example the incredibly gifted Hildegard， of the 12th century， who wrote books on theology， built a monastry， created her own language， her own style of music and was a very talented artist amongst other things。 The thing about her which amazed me the most was that she did most of the work for which she is now known in the last 3-4 decades of her life-living well into her 80’s！ I have to confess however that I found the more fragmented accounts of the Bayeaux Tapestry and the Cathards were much harder to follow and engage with。 This was possibly made harder by the frequent use of terminologies very specific to the Catholic church- I was pleased to be reading this on the Kindle app so could get immediate definitions on words such as ‘Anchoress’！ In fact I was surprised to find that the whole book was very much orientated towards christianity （mostly catholicism） the only exception being the discovery of the Birka Viking Warrior woman。 I imagine that maybe this is a reflection of the fact that having strong connections to the church was one of the few ways women were able to get their voices heard during this period。 Also that records were almost exclusively written by members of the christian faith who were amongst the few who were educated to write。These women are inspirational and deserve to have their stories shouted from the rooftops。 Hopefully this amazing collection of chronological biographies by Janina Ramirez will open a door for people to start doing just that。Many thanks to Janina Ramirez and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Merissa （Archaeolibrarian）
，
FEMINA: A NEW HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE AGES provides new insight into the world of the Loftus Princess， Hildegarde of Bingen， and the Birka Warrior Woman - to name just a few。 It shows us a world where women were better respected and listened to than we have previously imagined， or thought from reading historical documents。 The works of these women， their voices， have disappeared through the years， some accidentally， some on purpose。 Some of them have survived， but have been changed by male histori FEMINA: A NEW HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE AGES provides new insight into the world of the Loftus Princess， Hildegarde of Bingen， and the Birka Warrior Woman - to name just a few。 It shows us a world where women were better respected and listened to than we have previously imagined， or thought from reading historical documents。 The works of these women， their voices， have disappeared through the years， some accidentally， some on purpose。 Some of them have survived， but have been changed by male historians from the time periods that came after。 And some， like Hildegarde， have been saved by brave and courageous acts。Each section focuses on a different woman and gives the reader a glimpse into their lives and achievements。 It shows how well-travelled the world was at a time when you think everyone stayed 'at home'。 I have learnt about Jadwiga of Poland which I had never heard of before， plus others。I found this to be an intriguing and interesting book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and I have no hesitation in recommending it。** same worded review will appear elsewhere *** A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review。 I voluntarily read this book， and the comments here are my honest opinion。 *MerissaArchaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books！#NonFiction， #Medieval， #History， 。。。more
Serena
，
Femina is a history book focused on the middle ages through the lens of women living in that period。 I was intrigued to take a look at a period of history which I'm vaguely familiar with， but I wasn't sure what to expect。I do feel that the book was let down by the first couple of chapters which， to be frank， didn't really interest me。 However， some chapters were great - the section on polymaths was fascinating， as was the chapter on kings/diplomats。 At the end of the day， Femina isn't a bad book Femina is a history book focused on the middle ages through the lens of women living in that period。 I was intrigued to take a look at a period of history which I'm vaguely familiar with， but I wasn't sure what to expect。I do feel that the book was let down by the first couple of chapters which， to be frank， didn't really interest me。 However， some chapters were great - the section on polymaths was fascinating， as was the chapter on kings/diplomats。 At the end of the day， Femina isn't a bad book， it's just not the most accessible to those without a history background。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC！ 。。。more
Donna
，
Ramirez' Femina is one of the best explorations of medieval women that I have ever read。 Exploring women such as Hild of Whitby， Aethlflaed （depicted in TVs Last Kingdom）， the Birka Warrior Woman， Queen Emma （as seen in Vikings Valhalla）， Hildegard， and the Cathers' of Languedoc （familiar to those who have read Kate Mosse' Labyrinth）。 Ramirez presents an interesting and thought-provoking exploration of these women， immersing you within the world of these women - the sights， the sounds， the smell Ramirez' Femina is one of the best explorations of medieval women that I have ever read。 Exploring women such as Hild of Whitby， Aethlflaed （depicted in TVs Last Kingdom）， the Birka Warrior Woman， Queen Emma （as seen in Vikings Valhalla）， Hildegard， and the Cathers' of Languedoc （familiar to those who have read Kate Mosse' Labyrinth）。 Ramirez presents an interesting and thought-provoking exploration of these women， immersing you within the world of these women - the sights， the sounds， the smells。 A certain amount of speculation and interpretation is required - as is always the case where limited information is available - but I found Ramirez to be compelling in her thoughts and opinions。 A must read for those interested in this subject area。 。。。more
Carlie
，
I have always been a history lover and so to have the chance to read Femina was a wonderful opportunity that I didn't want to miss - I am so very glad I did！ What a fascinating read created by Ramirez who has created a piece of art with this book。 Combining crucial evidence from archaeological finds， excerpts from written accounts， scenes from artwork and historical theory with her innate storytelling， Ramirez really lifts the lid from these medieval women and brings their lives to the fore。 Whi I have always been a history lover and so to have the chance to read Femina was a wonderful opportunity that I didn't want to miss - I am so very glad I did！ What a fascinating read created by Ramirez who has created a piece of art with this book。 Combining crucial evidence from archaeological finds， excerpts from written accounts， scenes from artwork and historical theory with her innate storytelling， Ramirez really lifts the lid from these medieval women and brings their lives to the fore。 Whilst admitting she is writing from a prejudiced viewpoint， purposely writing to put women back into their history， this account feels truthful and honest。 The women she represents are not put onto a pedestal， but their lives are honestly examined and their achievements are laid bare for the reader to make their own judgements about how remarkable they were。 I feel this would be a useful text for all history syllabus' to draw upon and it makes real strides in putting women back into the history books - where they belong。 **Thanks to NetGalley， the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book。 All opinions are my own ** 。。。more
Carlton
，
This is a thought provoking book， which is successful in that it has made me further question popular history books for the general reader， and it is well written and engaging。 I’m dissatisfied to the extent that it is （hopefully） making a historically dated argument （I may be optimistic here！） and does so in a disjointed way。The book is a series of essays about various medieval women， but I found it dissatisfying overall， since other than relating to medieval women， the essays are otherwise dis This is a thought provoking book， which is successful in that it has made me further question popular history books for the general reader， and it is well written and engaging。 I’m dissatisfied to the extent that it is （hopefully） making a historically dated argument （I may be optimistic here！） and does so in a disjointed way。The book is a series of essays about various medieval women， but I found it dissatisfying overall， since other than relating to medieval women， the essays are otherwise disconnected。 As the only narrative thread linking these stories is that they are about women， it does not provide the “new history of the Middle Ages” which is the book’s subtitle， and I found any pattern too fragmentary， although the essays are engagingly written and well researched。 Ramirez’s excellent introductory essay concludes identifying the book’s purpose more honestly: “We need a new relationship with the past， one which we can all feel a part of。 Finding these extraordinary medieval women is a first step， but there are so many other silenced voices waiting to have their stories heard。”Ramirez’s essay style of an introduction to each chapter’s subject by reference to a relatively contemporary event （for example the 1997 canonisation of the fourteenth century Jadwiga， “King” of the Poles in chapter 7）， followed by an imaginative verbal recreation of an event in the individual’s life and then an exploration of their wider historical significance is a good approach。 But it does become repetitive and underlines the discontinuity of the essays。The book is well illustrated with photos of artefacts， artistic reconstructions and useful maps， but for me there appears to be an idiosyncratic choice of historical figures， some well known， others unknown （the Loftus “Princess”）， although each essay is engaging and full of interesting stories。 Also， after introducing her eminent women in the early chapters， Ramirez can appear to go off on a tangent due to the lack of records， but skilfully brings the narrative back to her chosen exemplar of a worthy woman in the period， providing relevant context for their significance。In her final thoughts， Ramirez says : “Like so many others， I have been led by generations of historians before me， their contemporary agendas often presented in the guise of empirical truths。 I have tried a different， but similarly loaded， approach in this book， putting the spotlight on women。 It is no less biased， and is representative of the time in which I am writing。 But by re-examining extraordinary women like Hildegard and Margery， casting a new light on over-written females like Æthelflæd and Jadwiga， and using recent discoveries to reconstruct lost individuals like the Loftus Princess and Birka Warrior Woman， the medieval world has taken on a different complexion。”My overall impression is of the book trying to make a larger argument （thesis） from a collection of engaging essays about medieval women who were influential in their time。 Instead the book reads like a collection of case studies with which to make the argument that the role of historically significant medieval women has been downplayed when histories of the medieval period were being being written in the eighteenth to twentieth centuries。 This is “topped and tailed” with essays outlining Ramirez’s argument， that the histories of the medieval period need to be expanded to reflect the simplification and distortion of women’s roles， and this book provides some examples of historically significant medieval women。 The challenge identified in this book can be seen to have been accepted in books such as Michael Woods’ 40th anniversary updating of In Search of the Dark Ages: The classic best seller， fully updated and revised for its 40th anniversary published earlier this year， which includes new chapters on the historically significant Anglo Saxon women Aethelflaed， Lady Wynflaed and Eadgyth。 The ongoing challenge for popular history writers will be to incorporate the stories of historically significant women seamlessly into broader narrative history， so widening our understanding。 It is a difficult balancing act to show relevance and significance， but not to be read by modern readers as just inclusion as positive discrimination of “token” women。I received a Netgalley copy of this book， but this review is my honest opinion。 。。。more
Amanda
，
Medieval history with women written back in。If you know little about this period of history， or you have preconceived notions about how we lived then， this book will be an eye-opener。Ramirez sets out a wealth of information， and shows how medieval culture still influences modern life。Extensively researched and well-balanced。With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC。
Jennyh
，
This is Herstory rather than History。 Referencing medieval women whose influences and contributions to the past have been mainly erased from the history books by the educated male dominated society。Some names have survived， but this book looks at the forgotten and more diverse ones。 Extremely well researched I found these women quite amazing， although I am not well acquainted with this period of history。 For me it was a book to interchange with a lighter read， one I did not have to concentrate o This is Herstory rather than History。 Referencing medieval women whose influences and contributions to the past have been mainly erased from the history books by the educated male dominated society。Some names have survived， but this book looks at the forgotten and more diverse ones。 Extremely well researched I found these women quite amazing， although I am not well acquainted with this period of history。 For me it was a book to interchange with a lighter read， one I did not have to concentrate on！Entertaining， diverse and informative。 Enjoy。 。。。more
Barbara
，
What a fascinating book！ Some of the forgotten 50% of the population brought from their hiding places and breathed into life before our eyes。 I knew a little of Margery Kempe and Hildegard but had never heard of the Loftus Princess， Jadwiga， or many of the others that are written about。 As well as the histories of the women， there is some wonderful historical detail that I didn’t know before。 The information about the multitude of races that coexisted in the city of London， how the Bayeaux tapes What a fascinating book！ Some of the forgotten 50% of the population brought from their hiding places and breathed into life before our eyes。 I knew a little of Margery Kempe and Hildegard but had never heard of the Loftus Princess， Jadwiga， or many of the others that are written about。 As well as the histories of the women， there is some wonderful historical detail that I didn’t know before。 The information about the multitude of races that coexisted in the city of London， how the Bayeaux tapestry was designed to fit a certain space， that the bodies in the plague pit were not just thrown in willy nilly but treated with respect， the sheer size of the plague pit。 This is a book that I will revisit and would recommend to any history lover。 5 stars from me。 This is my voluntary review of a free copy of the book。 Many thanks to the author and NetGalley。 。。。more
Dawn
，
Misunderstood， side notes， or left out completely。。。 "Femina" is a stark reminder of just how much of the history of the human race is missing， incomplete， or just plain wrong - all because women weren't considered all that important。 It makes for fascinating reading， but left me with a sadness for everything we've lost。 "Femina" feels like it should be the first volume in a very long series。My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my Misunderstood， side notes， or left out completely。。。 "Femina" is a stark reminder of just how much of the history of the human race is missing， incomplete， or just plain wrong - all because women weren't considered all that important。 It makes for fascinating reading， but left me with a sadness for everything we've lost。 "Femina" feels like it should be the first volume in a very long series。My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own， unbiased， opinion。 。。。more
Georgina Collins
，
Femina is long overdue。 Finally， a history book with the women put back in！ This was really refreshing and I loved the style of writing。 It is a genuine page-turner and very accessible， but not dumbed-down。 I loved this book。 So many women I had never heard of before， and they had such important and influential lives。 An eye-opener of a book which is also really enjoyable to read。
LOIS
，
A novel。 look at history with a new light on influential european women。 The book is expertly crafted， showing us their contributions in church， administration， social status and politics。 The women were alwaysthere- just hidden The book is written in a stylish manner and is a compelling read。 I enjoyed the observations immensely。。 A well-researched factual page-turner。。
Verity Halliday
，
Femina is an exploration of great medieval women， some I’d heard of， others I hadn’t。 It’s a familiar period of history for me， but looked at from a usually overlooked feminine standpoint。 I enjoyed the author’s enthusiastic voice guiding me and introducing me to some of her favourite people。The book is well illustrated and referenced， recommended for any general reader as well as those more interested in medieval history。
Seriesbooklover
，
I couldn’t resist this book， particularly when it feels like the gains made by feminism are being eroded and this book highlights the amazing women of the middle-ages who have been wiped clean from the history books。I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion。This book is a passionate discussion of the role women played in the middle-ages and made me reassess my own assumption that women played no role except to marry and have children and had no voice。 But as the author descr I couldn’t resist this book， particularly when it feels like the gains made by feminism are being eroded and this book highlights the amazing women of the middle-ages who have been wiped clean from the history books。I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion。This book is a passionate discussion of the role women played in the middle-ages and made me reassess my own assumption that women played no role except to marry and have children and had no voice。 But as the author describes this is perhaps a Victorian concept。The author focuses on a few women – some known and some unknown- carefully presenting her evidence and explanation as to why these women were amazing。She starts with the unknown warrior woman found buried in Loftus， North Yorkshire buried with her weapons and the world’s continued disbelief that women could fight to Jadwiga， a powerful Monarch whose husband seemed to be remembered by history more than her。The author presents her facts in a highly enjoyable way， I never felt I was reading a boring old history book and at times it was like I was reading my favourite historical fiction。 The book is never preachy and the author’s passion for the subject shines through。My only minor criticism （ and more than I wanted to read more） is that it focuses on European history and would have loved to read about more amazing women around the world。Perfect for anyoneWho loves books on less described aspects of history and those who love a feminist twist in their history。 。。。more
Leah （Is having a bookish breakdown）
，
*Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review。*One of my favourite genres is books centering forgotten female stories and figures， and this is exactly what Ramírez has written in Femina。As she puts it in the author's note， "I am not here to convince you that it is high time we put women at the centre of history。 Many have already done that。" And she is correct， because thousands of women have tried and for the most part， begun to succeed。 What is n *Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review。*One of my favourite genres is books centering forgotten female stories and figures， and this is exactly what Ramírez has written in Femina。As she puts it in the author's note， "I am not here to convince you that it is high time we put women at the centre of history。 Many have already done that。" And she is correct， because thousands of women have tried and for the most part， begun to succeed。 What is necessary， rather， is that these women have their stories told and remembered。 Femina examines case studies of women from throughout the early ages by analysing artifacts， providing contextual information and interspersing the text with vivid descriptions to bring the ancient women to life。 In 9 chapters， Ramírez expertedly weaves an astounding narrative firmly explaining how， if not wrong， but distorted modern history truly is。The amount of male figures who simply wouldn't， or even didn't， accomplish what they've been credited without a woman's intervention for was ridiculous。 It seems absurd that these powerful icons could just be forgotten。That's what really makes Femina stand out。 A second reason for this is Femina gives a reason for this revisionist history we learn today。 We all know WHO rewrote history （men） and WHAT they rewrote （anything featuring a powerful woman） but why？ And how？ Femina examines this point carefully。My only criticism would be that the book is heavily focused on central and western Europe， I think a broader scale would be great。From medieval queens， to Viking warriors， Ramírez truly does shine a light into the inner workings of the pre modern ages。 I think this should be essential reading for anybody， of any age， learning history。 。。。more
Afsara
，
Thank you to NetGalley and Ebury Publishing + Penguin Random House for providing me with an ARC to review。I DNF’d this book。 While the essay/thesis style of writing was refreshing to read， non-fiction just isn’t for me。 I rated it 3 stars because I can see why people who do enjoy non-fic， would enjoy this book。 The topics were interesting albeit a little jumbled/disorganised and the addition of diagrams， photos and other images was nice to have to break up the otherwise lengthy passages of texts Thank you to NetGalley and Ebury Publishing + Penguin Random House for providing me with an ARC to review。I DNF’d this book。 While the essay/thesis style of writing was refreshing to read， non-fiction just isn’t for me。 I rated it 3 stars because I can see why people who do enjoy non-fic， would enjoy this book。 The topics were interesting albeit a little jumbled/disorganised and the addition of diagrams， photos and other images was nice to have to break up the otherwise lengthy passages of texts。 The unique use of women from history who aren’t well known really makes this book standout from other non-fic texts on the same topic。 。。。more
Peter Willoughby
，