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Femina

The instant Sunday Times bestseller – A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written...

Janina Ramirez

$55

Hardback

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English
W H Allen
21 August 2022
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 INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
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*LONGLISTED FOR THE CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE
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'Janina Ramirez is a born storyteller, and in Femina she is at the peak of her powers. This is bravura narrative history underpinned by passionate advocacy for the women whom medieval history has too often ignored or overlooked. Femina is essential reading' - Dan Jones, bestselling author of The Plantagenets and Powers and Thrones

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As gatekeepers of the past ordered books to be burnt, artworks to be destroyed, and new versions of myths, legends and historical documents to be produced, our view of history has been manipulated.

Only now, through a careful examination of the artefacts, writings and possessions they left behind, are the influential and multifaceted lives of women emerging. Femina goes beyond the official records to uncover the true impact of women like Jadwiga, the only female King in Europe, Margery Kempe, who exploited her image and story to ensure her notoriety, and the Loftus Princess, whose existence gives us clues about the beginnings of Christianity in England. See the medieval world with fresh eyes and discover why these remarkable women were removed from our collective memories.

By:  
Imprint:   W H Allen
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 240mm,  Width: 161mm,  Spine: 40mm
Weight:   687g
ISBN:   9780753558256
ISBN 10:   0753558254
Pages:   464
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  ELT Advanced ,  Primary
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Dr Janina Ramirez is a Sunday Times bestselling author, an Oxford lecturer, BBC broadcaster and researcher. She has presented and written over 30 hours of BBC history documentaries and series on TV and radio, and written seven books for children and adults.

Reviews for Femina: The instant Sunday Times bestseller – A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It

Janina Ramirez is a born storyteller, and in Femina she is at the peak of her powers. This is bravura narrative history underpinned by passionate advocacy for the women whom medieval history has too often ignored or overlooked. Femina is essential reading for anyone who is interested in the Middle Ages and its place in the modern mind * Dan Jones, bestselling author of The Plantagenets and Powers and Thrones * This is a passionate, energetic, hugely enjoyable and brilliantly observed book. Both a plea for a new way of thinking about history and a commitment to putting women's lives back at the heart of things, I read it in one sitting. Magnificent. * Kate Mosse, bestselling author of Labyrinth * Janina Ramirez is a passionate voice for women in history. With this bold and masterful book, she salvages women's stories from the dark corners into which they have been pushed, and brilliantly restores them to the centre of the historical narrative where they have always belonged * Hallie Rubenhold, author of The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper * Passionate, provocative and brilliant, this book is a firecracker somehow captured between two covers * Lucy Worsley, author of Jane Austen at Home * Inventive, informative, surprising - this book is a revelation! Seeing so many remarkable women creating so much powerful history rewrites our entire sense of the medieval past * Waldemar Januszczak * As both writer and broadcaster, Dr Janina Ramirez radiates tremendous passion for her subject. To spend time in her company is to soon find yourself intoxicated by the vast drama of human history, with all its far-off wonders, frustrating mysteries, and tantalising echoes that still resonate in our modern world * Greg Jenner, author of Ask a Historian and Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity * Gripping, incisive, brilliant, Janina Ramirez opens a door into hidden worlds, the secrets of women's lives. She is a detective and guide on this, an eye-opening, wonderful journey into the power, beauty and reality of early women's experiences * Kate Williams, author of England's Mistress: The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton *


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