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Medieval Women: Voices & Visions
This beautifully illustrated, large format volume accompanies the British Library's major Autumn exhibition which seeks to recover women's voices, visions and experiences in Britain and Europe from around 1100 to 1500. Women of this period, whether as authors, artists, scribes, patrons, readers, wives, mothers, daughters, leaders, workers, makers, traders and more, tell their histories through their own words and reveal them through their own images, artworks and documents.
Through a selection of detailed expert essays and some 40 spotlight studies, Medieval Women reveals a rich and complex picture of their world, full of colourful characters and intriguing stories from famous personalities such as Christine de Pizan, Joan of Arc and Julian of Norwich, to lesser-known figures such as Sibilla von Bondorff, Clemence of Barking and Margaret Paston. Both the exhibition, and this accompanying book, will showcase star items from the British Library and major European collections as well as bringing to light little-known, deeply resonant, and highly personal, gems and keepsakes from this fascinating era.
Through a selection of detailed expert essays and some 40 spotlight studies, Medieval Women reveals a rich and complex picture of their world, full of colourful characters and intriguing stories from famous personalities such as Christine de Pizan, Joan of Arc and Julian of Norwich, to lesser-known figures such as Sibilla von Bondorff, Clemence of Barking and Margaret Paston. Both the exhibition, and this accompanying book, will showcase star items from the British Library and major European collections as well as bringing to light little-known, deeply resonant, and highly personal, gems and keepsakes from this fascinating era.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 25, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 24, 2025
High-quality book to accompany an exhibition that has extended my to-read list by 100, but wish it included more of Christine de Pizan's iconic misandry
February 22, 2025
This book is intended to complement an exhibition at the British Library. Some sections describe items in the exhibition eg the birth girdle and the mortuary roll. Other sections describe women not covered by the exhibition. The book is divided into small sections so it is easy to dip in and out of it. It is divided into the four parts used in the exhibition ; private lives, public lives, working lives and spiritual lives. It is lavishly illustrated with reproductions of manuscripts. It is not neccessary to have been to the exhibition to enjoy this book. It will be of interest to all wishing to learn about medieval women.
June 17, 2025
I went to the exhibition at the British Library which was fantastic. I loved the execution of the space, the inclusion of sensory experience (audio, projections, smells) alongside the encased books and artefacts.
Of course I wanted a copy of the book but I hadn't gotten round to properly reading it until now.
Just bountiful and beautiful. Rich in facts and gorgeous imagery. Discovering how medieval women carved a life for themselves regardless of the odds against them (misogyny).
Did you know women were brewers and ran ale houses? And then of course, men found ways to take that away from women.
Women were also running silk weaving businesses, but men once again delibratley put a stop to that and created male-only silk weaving companies with legislation that prevents women from taking up silk work anymore. Regardless of what patriarchel societies did to hinder medieval womens worth and autonomy, somehow these women survived and some even thrived and were celebrated.
From queens to poets, sex workers to nuns, this is a lush book of medieval HERstory I think everyone should read because much of what these women experienced, us 21st century women can unfortunatley still relate to--- we've come a long way with equality but we still have far to go.
Women-centred history needs to be taught more in schools. History classes in high school are saturated in male-centric lessons of kings and battles, inventors, explorers and warriors. It makes children leave school believing our entire human narrative is all about masculine dominion and teaches boys they are the superior gender because the feminine is erased from the history books or are background characters to penis narcissism (women are usually only mentioned as 2D saintly virgins, ruinous queens, witches or whores).
This book is one of the many voices calling for change.
Of course I wanted a copy of the book but I hadn't gotten round to properly reading it until now.
Just bountiful and beautiful. Rich in facts and gorgeous imagery. Discovering how medieval women carved a life for themselves regardless of the odds against them (misogyny).
Did you know women were brewers and ran ale houses? And then of course, men found ways to take that away from women.
Women were also running silk weaving businesses, but men once again delibratley put a stop to that and created male-only silk weaving companies with legislation that prevents women from taking up silk work anymore. Regardless of what patriarchel societies did to hinder medieval womens worth and autonomy, somehow these women survived and some even thrived and were celebrated.
From queens to poets, sex workers to nuns, this is a lush book of medieval HERstory I think everyone should read because much of what these women experienced, us 21st century women can unfortunatley still relate to--- we've come a long way with equality but we still have far to go.
Women-centred history needs to be taught more in schools. History classes in high school are saturated in male-centric lessons of kings and battles, inventors, explorers and warriors. It makes children leave school believing our entire human narrative is all about masculine dominion and teaches boys they are the superior gender because the feminine is erased from the history books or are background characters to penis narcissism (women are usually only mentioned as 2D saintly virgins, ruinous queens, witches or whores).
This book is one of the many voices calling for change.
July 29, 2025
i'm back in birmingham library for the last time today and was looking for books for my diss referencing when i stumbled upon this. i had so wanted to go to the exhibition in the british library that was designed alongside this, but didn't get the chance. luckily, this book was there to take me through various parts of the collection!
i only skimmed this book - i read the private lives and working lives sections cover to cover as that is where the majority of my interests lie. i was particularly interested in the story of eleanor rykener, margery brews' valentines letter and the essay about body and health by elma brenner. lovely to see an essay by elizabeth l'estrange here, too, who taught me this year on my digital heritage module!
a perfect way to procrastinate.
i only skimmed this book - i read the private lives and working lives sections cover to cover as that is where the majority of my interests lie. i was particularly interested in the story of eleanor rykener, margery brews' valentines letter and the essay about body and health by elma brenner. lovely to see an essay by elizabeth l'estrange here, too, who taught me this year on my digital heritage module!
a perfect way to procrastinate.
February 24, 2025
I WONDERFUL book to accompany a superb exhibition. If you are at all interested in medieval history I would unreservedly recommend this book.
June 12, 2025
An interesting read, essays on medieval women followed up with examples of individual lives beautifully illustrated with contemporary art.
October 6, 2025
I bought this book as desperately wanted to attend the exhibition held in London, and couldn't be there.
The Good- The illustrations in the book are quite lovely. I feel like I have my own Book of Hours, and really the cost alone is worth it with these full sized pictures. Some of the stories were quite interesting. I have a keen interest in the War of the Roses, so there were a few points of interest for me in there.
The not so good- Some of the stories weren't that great, or interesting. Some were leaning heavily towards a political agenda. I wrongly thought the book was based on British women, but the book was also based on Europe and North Africa (!) as well, an area I am totally unfamiliar with.
But the biggest thing I found quite jarring- the book is full of beautiful pictures, but alot of the pictures only had details of what they were, not the story of them as such. It would have been better if there were more translations of what the pictures actually meant or the story of the pictures e.g if the pictures could have been incorporated more into the text.
Overall its a lovely book.
The Good- The illustrations in the book are quite lovely. I feel like I have my own Book of Hours, and really the cost alone is worth it with these full sized pictures. Some of the stories were quite interesting. I have a keen interest in the War of the Roses, so there were a few points of interest for me in there.
The not so good- Some of the stories weren't that great, or interesting. Some were leaning heavily towards a political agenda. I wrongly thought the book was based on British women, but the book was also based on Europe and North Africa (!) as well, an area I am totally unfamiliar with.
But the biggest thing I found quite jarring- the book is full of beautiful pictures, but alot of the pictures only had details of what they were, not the story of them as such. It would have been better if there were more translations of what the pictures actually meant or the story of the pictures e.g if the pictures could have been incorporated more into the text.
Overall its a lovely book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews