THE#1INTERNATIONALBESTSELLERLONGLISTEDFORTHE2023CUNDILHISTORYPRIZEA“NextBigIdeaBookClub“MustRead?Agroundbreakingreappraisalofmedievalfemininity,revealingwhywomenhavebeenwrittenoutofhistoryandwhyitmattersTheMiddleAgesareseenasabloodthirstytimeofVikings,saintsandkings;apatriarchalsocietythatoppressedandexcludedwomen.Butwhenwedigalittledeeperintothetruth,wecanseethatthe“Dark“Ageswereanythingbut.OxfordandBBChistorianJaninaRamirezhasuncoveredcountlessinfluentialwomen’snamesstruckoutofhistoricalrecords,withthewordFEMINAannotatedbesidethem.Asgatekeepersofthepastorderedbookstobeburned,artworkstobedestroyed,andnewversionsofmyths,legendsandhistoricaldocumentstobeproduced,ourviewofhistoryhasbeenmanipulated.Onlynow,throughacarefulexaminationoftheartifacts,writingsandpossessionstheyleftbehind,aretheinfluentialandmultifacetedlivesofwomenemerging.Feminagoesbeyondtheofficialrecordstouncoverthetrueimpactofwomen,suchas:Jadwiga,theonlyfemalekinginEuropeMargeryKempe,whoexploitedherimageandstorytoensurehernotorietyLoftusPrincess,whoseexistencegivesuscluesaboutthebeginningsofChristianityinEnglandInFemina,Ramirezinvitesustoseethemedievalworldwithfresheyesanddiscoverwhytheseremarkablewomenwereremovedfromourcollectivememories.
