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

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

Revelatory... Ramirez shows again and again that dark age Europe was a far more various place than we like to believe ― Kathryn Hughes, The Guardian

One of Femina's greatest strengths is that it is not just a collection of medieval heroines, although there are inspirational stories aplenty in its pages, but also a readable and wide-ranging account of the Middle Ages - with the women put back in - that forces us to look at familiar stories in new ways ― The Sunday Times

It's about time these stories had a wider audience. They've been waiting long enough. ― Spectator

Passionate, provocative and brilliant, this book is a firecracker somehow captured between two covers ― Lucy Worsley, bestselling author of Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman

Beautifully written, wonderfully free-ranging and gloriously original, Femina makes us look into the mists of history in new, exciting and provocative ways. A joyous read ― Peter Frankopan, bestselling author of The Silk Roads

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