This was a totally fascinating examination of medieval women written out of history. I particularly enjoyed the section on the women who created the Bayeux Tapestry.

This was a really accessible and interesting exploration of several women often missing from histories of the medieval period. I particularly enjoyed the chapters dealing with the women who produced the Bayeaux Tapestry and the Cathars. The structure of each chapter was great, beginning with a recent discovery - such as the finding of Margery Kempe's book in a cupboard - and then moves on to discuss the area during the time period in question. My only criticism is that I would I have enjoyed a couple of chapters dealing with women in general in the medieval period, rather than focusing primarily on specific individuals. With that being said however, this is a very well researched and fascinating book that I would definitely recommend.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It by Janina Ramirez is a very interesting take on a popular history book looking at the Middle Ages under a new perspective. Having come to this straight after a certain book with similar aims, but much less solid scholarly underpinnings, Ramirez’ work made me very very happy. This isn’t a feminist manifesto or a rewriting of what is known about the period, but a look at smaller chunks of the Middle Ages through what we know about some of the women who lived at the time. Often ignored for their more famous and traditionally accomplished male counterparts, these women may have done much to have been remembered or, simply, been at the right place at the right time for their burials to survive and be discovered. I found Ramirez’ writing engaging and accessible, drawing parallels to modern times, but still rigorously academic where it matters. I did find that some of the chapters strayed perhaps a bit far from what they intended – for example when talking about the Birka burials, there was extensive discussion of Viking burial culture and archaeology – which wasn’t what I was reading the book for, but then, as someone who used to be a medieval historian isn’t necessarily the target audience for a book like this. These discourses were still interesting, though my brain went “but I wanted to know about THIS, not GENERAL TOPIC I already know about!”. So, most definitely one I recommend picking up!

First off I really really enjoyed this book by Janina Ramirez and thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it. As a history student I’ve read a lot of dry texts (all be it well researched and educational) but in this case the author not only educates us on these women but also fleshes them out so they become real, bringing them the attention they deserve.

I am a big supporter of bringing women’s untold stories into the light as it were and really applause the author for doing this well and in and educational and informative way. I am definitely buying copies for my history student friends!

Absolutely brilliant book. That's one for the stocking for all my friends this Christmas. Highly, highly recommend.

Fantastic, well researched and passionately told historical non-fiction looking at the lives of Medieval women who shaped history but were struck from the record. This is one for anyone who was told in a school history class that there were exactly three or four historical women including Elizabeth I. An outstanding piece of work.

A gripping and important book that felt like it was written especially for my femininst-history-loving hart. Can't wait for more from this author

Femina brings together what we know and how we know it about key (mainly western European) women from the Medieval period. It's aimed at a general audience - pitched at the level of a BBC4/PBS documentary. As I've watched a lot of these, not least those presented by Ramirez herself, many of the stories were familiar and I did find myself skimming in places.

I did find it hard to immerse myself in the book and I'm not sure why. Perhaps because Ramirez jumps between the lives of the women, imagined vignettes and stories around the sources, but others have done this effectively (eg in Kindred, Rebecca Wragg Sykes makes the lives of Neanderthals feel immediate and real). Maybe it's about the quality of writing, and the fact there's always half a knowing eye on the present. At one point, Ramirez leads us into 7th century Loftus with its salt air, Iron Age enclosures and burial mounds but then breaks the spell by describing the enclosure as the size of half a football pitch!

The subtitle also suggests there will be more about women in general, rather than focusing solely on the stories of these women who are by definition exceptional. Still, Femina is a useful introduction, and a jumping-off point for further reading.

When I wrote Heroines of the Medieval World five years ago, I said at the time that it was a book that needed to be written – I just wasn’t sure if I was the person to write it. If I had been asked who should write it, one of the top names on my list would have been Janina Ramirez. So I was not surprised when I discovered that Janina had written a book on medieval women, Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It.

I admit I was a little worried that Femina would make my Heroines obsolete or redundant, but I probably shouldn’t have been. After all, every writer has their own style and approach and every book – even if on the same topic – is written differently. And while the two books do overlap in places, we do not always reach the same conclusion and they really would complement each other on a book shelf (hint, hint!).

Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It looks at some of the most remarkable women of the medieval period, including two women you will be familiar with if you have read Heroines of the Medieval World, Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians and Jadwiga, ‘King’ of Poland. And the chapter on Jadwiga is particularly illuminating as Dr Ramirez applies her background in Art History to the symbolism and significance of Jadwiga’s reign, both on a political and spiritual level.

Janina Ramirez also provides great insight in to Emma of Normandy, who I looked at in detail for my own book, Silk and the Sword: the Women of the Norman Conquest. Study is even made of Ӕlfgyva, the mysterious woman in the Bayeux Tapestry, though Janina and I come to very different conclusions – and I would dearly love to have a face-to-face conversation with her to thrash out our theories. That would be fun!

Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It is a fabulous study of a number of medieval women – and medieval woman in general. Dr Ramirez manages to combine what it was like to be a woman in medieval times, including their rights and the dangers they faced, such as childbirth, with the histories of particular women – and not always women you would expect to see in history book. The most fascinating chapter is that which is devoted to the Cathars, a religious sect much misunderstood and persecuted to extinction by the church. Janina Ramirez highlights not only their suffering and personal testimonies, but also the strength and respect that women held within the community. It truly is illuminating.

From warrior Viking women, to the successes of Æthelflæd and the excessive crying of Margery Kempe, Janina Ramirez shines a light on the lives and experiences of a huge variety of medieval women. Archaeological discoveries, religious artefacts and medieval artwork are used to describe and illuminate the world in which these women lived and died.

Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It is an engaging, entertaining read, with Janina Ramirez’s unique and wonderful take on medieval history. Introducing her vast knowledge of Art History into the mix adds vibrancy to the individual stories and brings these incredible women to life. Dr Ramirez is fabulous writer and communicator and takes the reader on an incredible journey of discovery through the medieval world. Her enthusiasm and fascination for the topic shines through on every page.

Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It by Janina Ramirez is truly a pleasure to read.

What an astounding book, as someone who has a degree in archaeology (and works in heritage) I know first hand the need to place women in histories narrative. Ramirez, does an amazing job in reappraising life in the Middle Ages (primarily focus in west and central europe - utilising artefacts, literature and beautifully places the stories into historically context. There are a wide range of women discussed and does not attempt to glamorise their life or the time period and I know this book is already overwhelmingly popular but I shall recommend it to customers, and friends who still work in heritage!

This is a slightly unusual read for me, not within my normal range of reading. However, I was interested in the concept of the book and a new take on history. The book does not disappoint - it's a well-researched book which should help to open the reader's eyes.

This is a very well researched non fiction book which was very different from anything I have ever read before.

The book takes us back centuries to medieval times where the relatively recent discoveries of burial sites in the past decades - have allowed new evidence to be assessed and history to become alive again with the fact that some medieval women played much bigger and important parts in history than previously thought.

The book covers in depth some of the great intelligent and brave women who seem to have been erased or forgotten and I love how they have finally been given voices again after all this time thanks to advances in science techniques and the hours of dedication site diggers put in.

It's fascinating to read how some women wanted money , sex , land, independence and fun as much as the next man.

I learnt a lot about the history and geography of England.

It did spend a lot of time discussing the Church's and religion as of course this was the main focus of a lot of people in those times, but this was the part I found least interesting.

I loved this one so much, and I've already hand-sold it to several customers. It will also be going in our Christmas catalogue.

I don't normally read none fiction but I really enjoyed this book (as much as I can a none fiction)! I liked the way the information was told like a story, it really helped a fiction lover, like myself, to stay interested. And I also found the history aspect interesting, I had never considered that the reason we don't hear about women from the past is because history is rewritten in the present by people with a particular agenda.

In this meticulously researched book, historian Janina Ramirez writes medieval women back into the historical narrative. She takes us on a fascinating journey to discover the women written out of the past; it's the men we hear most often about but guess what, there were so many women whose lives are worth writing about too.
Highly recommended!

This is a well researched and convincing look at women in prominent positions through the Dark Ages, Middle Ages and across a spread of nations and cultures. The women were generally not well known today, and this may be because at the time they were not written of, or during more modern research, they were assumed to have been male. There's also the issue of female accomplishments being claimed by men.

Why would modern researchers call a woman, a man? Grave goods which were swords and arrows are generally considered to have been buried with men, but ornaments such as beads, or pottery, with women. A team which analysed DNA from a prehistoric burial mound discovered that despite being buried with weapons, the person was a woman. Then, the author tells us, the team was attacked, personally or through assumption that their meticulous work was flawed. The team was all female. Would that have happened if they were all men?

Moving on we see that noble women were preserved in statues and coins; a queen's head on currency may have been more acceptable than her foreigner husband. Noble daughters were for making treaties and ensuring allegiances. But Norse women had considerable status in the house and society. They could use weapons and do any work required. Hild was a wise woman who was sought for counsel in ancient Britain.

Depending on whether a society had writing the girls were often educated and carried out trade. Going to a convent was one way a girl could receive education and rise in status. Convents did not have the same power as monasteries and nuns were not encouraged to travel unlike some friars. But a Reverend Mother could control considerable land, rents and industrial buildings. Convents preserved scholarly works and records. Women created the Bayeux Tapestry - I have read a novel in which this is ascribed to a convent, but the author doesn't go that far, showing instead that the women embroidered earthy items, and that the soldier with an arrow in his eye was probably not Harold, who is depicted getting his legs hacked about on the ground.

In more modern times, a daughter of Poland was betrothed for duty as a small child, yet went on to have herself crowned King Hedwig of Poland, one of only two female kings in Europe. The repression of mentions of women may have been much more recent than expected.

For these stories and more, adorned with many photos of objects, locations, buildings and research, I recommend picking up a copy of this book, which will be a boon to historical authors. I read an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.

Women have been excluded for a long time in History, and it's about damn time we got some of it!
Janina Ramirez wrote a fascinating in depth book on women throughout history. She did a lot of research and the chapters are chock full of detail.
Also for people who watched the show "Vikings", there are some references to the real people those characters were based on.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in history.

Femina is simply perfect. Everything any lover of history could ever want. Absorbing and mercifully readable. Ramirez is a wonder - thank god for historians such as this! They illuminate the past in ways we so sorely need. Just marvellous.

This is a fascinating look at the Middle Ages via the lives of writings and artifacts left behind by some of the women who lived through the period. Some of the names were people I had heard of, but I knew very little about any of them except for Margery Kempe. This is easy to read, but incredibly well researched and has plenty of pictures of the artifacts being talked about. It also has a huge bibliography at the back if you want to go and read more about any of the women. Well worth a look, even if you don't usually do books on the Middle Ages. It's taken me a while to finish - but that's because my brain has been fried and I only had the concentration for small bursts. Luckily it's broken down into nice bite-sized sections!

I learnt so much from this book and author. At times the background info/context felt too lengthy, but apart from that it was a great read.