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

Janina Ramirez

eBook - 2023

THE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERLONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 CUNDIL HISTORY PRIZEA "Next Big Idea Book Club" Must Read?A groundbreaking reappraisal of medieval femininity, revealing why women have been written out of history and why it mattersThe Middle Ages are seen as a bloodthirsty time of Vikings, saints and kings; a patriarchal society that 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gatekeepers of the past ordered books to be burned, artworks to be destroyed, and ne...w versions of myths, legends and historical documents to be produced, our view of history has been manipulated.Only now, through a careful examination of the artifacts, writings and possessions they left behind, are... more