Femina

This book is a game-changer – looking at medieval history (so often told as the narrative of kings and knights and clerics) as a story of women. It is not only a vital act of history: it represents a new way of looking at the past that has inspired my own book, MYTHICA (coming out in 2025), that looks at the real women behind the 'male tales' of Greek myth. This book has to be on my list of top reads, not just of 2024, but of all time.

This book is not just a rich and detailed portrait of various times and places throughout the medieval period—it explains how history itself is written, how certain stories are told (and prioritized), and how certain individuals are remembered.

From page 1, Ramirez draws you in with her irresistible storytelling, making historical figures seem like the real people they were. She corrects popular misconceptions about the Middle Ages as well as how history is itself created.

Each chapter begins with a discovery, which is just as dramatic and exciting as the medieval subject matter. I love how Ramirez paints a picture… show more.

The traditional view of the Middle Ages classifies the era as the “Dark Ages.” The Oxford historian, Janina Ramirez, provides a compelling counter-narrative in her fascinating new book. Drawing on interdisciplinary sources to shift perspectives, she documents medieval women’s extensive contributions to every aspect of their societies, from the arts to zealous political leadership.

Among the many women who shaped medieval society but either were erased from or underrepresented in recorded history are such influential women as Hild, the Abbess of Whitby, who established her own monastery in England’s north and led a major religious Synod in 664 A.D.; the… show more.