Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It
A groundbreaking reappraisal of medieval femininity, revealing why women have been written out of history, and why it matters, by BBC historian Janina Ramirez.
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.
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Community Reviews
This book was an incredibly dense and in-depth collection of essays on different specific medieval women. I almost gave this book a lower rating, because it only really focused on noblewomen, but the last chapter acknowledges this and offers more figures who don't fit in the same dominant-caste demographic as the other people covered, which bumped up its score.
If you do read this, I would recommend getting a physical copy to read slowly, instead of reading it digitally on a deadline like I did.
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