Gender, nation and conquest in the high Middle Ages: Nest of Deheubarth

by Susan M. Johns

This book is an account of noblewomen in Wales in the high Middle Ages, focusing on one particular case-study, Nest of Deheubarth. A key figure in one of the most notorious and portentous abductions of the middle ages, this 'Helen of Wales' was both mistress of Henry I and ancestress of a dynasty which dominated the Anglo-Norman conquests of Ireland.

The book fills a significant gap in the historiography. It develops understandings of the interactions of gender with conquest, imperialism, and with the social and cultural transformations of the Middle Ages from a new perspective. Many studies have recently appeared reconsidering these relationships, but few if any have women and gender as a core theme. Gender, nation and conquest will therefore be of interest to all researching, teaching and studying the high middle ages in Britain and Ireland, and to a wider audience for which medieval women's history is a growing fascination.

Hitherto, Nest has been seen as the pawn of powerful men. A more general discussion of ideals concerning beauty, love, sex and marriage and an analysis of the interconnecting identities of Nest throw light on her role as wife, concubine and mistress. A unique feature of the book is its examination of the story of Nest in its many forms over succeeding centuries, during which it has formed part of significant narratives of gender and nation.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published November 5, 2013

About the author

Dr Susan Johns
Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Bangor in Wales.