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Legenda: The Real Women Behind the Myths That Shaped Europe
From the bestselling author of FEMINA, a brilliant reappraisal of the medieval women whose lives have been exploited over centuries for political, nation-building ends.
In LEGENDA, bestselling historian Professor Janina Ramirez peels back the layers of time to reveal how the lives of women have been co-opted by those intent on crafting national identities. Their names are well known, and summaries of their achievements have been recited in classrooms for decades, but medieval women like Joan of Arc, Lady Godiva and Isabella of Castile have been misrepresented, their stories twisted and weaponised. Meanwhile, ground-breaking 18th- and 19th-century women who blazed a trail through revolutionary Europe have been forgotten, their legacies too easily dismissed or ignored.
Questioning established narratives and searching for the real women behind the legends, Ramirez interrogates what defines a nation and who gets to build it, shining a light on how history is so often hijacked to serve the ideological and political interests of the present.
PRAISE FOR JANINA RAMIREZ:
'Ramirez blasts a powerful spotlight into the so-called Dark Ages and reveals a vibrant world, awash with colour and character' DAN SNOW, host of History Hit
'Skillfully brings out from the shadows the lives of women who ruled, fought, traded, created, and inspired' CAT JARMAN, author of River Kings
'Like the interlace stonework on an Anglo-Saxon cross, Janina Ramirez's themes are interwoven with a conssumate skill' TOM HOLLAND, author of Dominion and host of The Rest is History
'Ramirez makes us look into the mists of history in new, exciting and provocative ways' PETER FRANKOPAN, author of The Silk Roads
In LEGENDA, bestselling historian Professor Janina Ramirez peels back the layers of time to reveal how the lives of women have been co-opted by those intent on crafting national identities. Their names are well known, and summaries of their achievements have been recited in classrooms for decades, but medieval women like Joan of Arc, Lady Godiva and Isabella of Castile have been misrepresented, their stories twisted and weaponised. Meanwhile, ground-breaking 18th- and 19th-century women who blazed a trail through revolutionary Europe have been forgotten, their legacies too easily dismissed or ignored.
Questioning established narratives and searching for the real women behind the legends, Ramirez interrogates what defines a nation and who gets to build it, shining a light on how history is so often hijacked to serve the ideological and political interests of the present.
PRAISE FOR JANINA RAMIREZ:
'Ramirez blasts a powerful spotlight into the so-called Dark Ages and reveals a vibrant world, awash with colour and character' DAN SNOW, host of History Hit
'Skillfully brings out from the shadows the lives of women who ruled, fought, traded, created, and inspired' CAT JARMAN, author of River Kings
'Like the interlace stonework on an Anglo-Saxon cross, Janina Ramirez's themes are interwoven with a conssumate skill' TOM HOLLAND, author of Dominion and host of The Rest is History
'Ramirez makes us look into the mists of history in new, exciting and provocative ways' PETER FRANKOPAN, author of The Silk Roads
403 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 6, 2025
93 people are currently reading
1030 people want to read
About the author
Janina Ramírez
10 books231 followersJanina Sara María Ramírez (née Maleczek; 7 July 1980), sometimes credited as Nina Ramírez, is a British art and cultural historian and TV presenter, based in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. She specialises in interpreting symbols and examining works of art, within their own historical context.
Ramírez went to school in Slough. She gained a degree in English literature, specialising in Old and Middle English, from St Anne's College, Oxford, before completing her postgraduate studies at the Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York. She completed an art/literature PhD on the symbolism of birds, which led to a lectureship in York's Art History Department, followed by lecturing posts at the University of Winchester, University of Warwick, and University of Oxford.
Ramírez is currently the course director on the Certificate in History of Art at Oxford University's Department for Continuing Education.
Ramírez went to school in Slough. She gained a degree in English literature, specialising in Old and Middle English, from St Anne's College, Oxford, before completing her postgraduate studies at the Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York. She completed an art/literature PhD on the symbolism of birds, which led to a lectureship in York's Art History Department, followed by lecturing posts at the University of Winchester, University of Warwick, and University of Oxford.
Ramírez is currently the course director on the Certificate in History of Art at Oxford University's Department for Continuing Education.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 6, 2026
For anyone interested in women’s history, this is a luminous look at how women as medieval saints, scholars, Queens and rebels were first inscribed into cultural memory and then one by one effaced. It compels us to rethink how history itself is written and transmitted.
Figures who survive in fragments, devotional images and rumours. Lives that were transformed into legends and those legends later sanitized, constrained and even excised to suit patriarchal ways of remembering. Anne Komene who was a Byzantine Princess, historian and author of The Alexiad, was truly one of my favourites from Legenda.
Legenda achieves so much in three hundred pages, inviting you to linger on threads long neglected by history. Ramirez reframes and reconstructs legend as evidence and not just some naïve folklore. Legends aren’t failures of history- they carry layers of moral, political, and cultural meaning across centuries.
Legenda pulls us closer to the medieval imagination, revealing not only what women did but what society imagined they could do. The women their communities chose to remember. Their histories are far more crowded, vivid, and alive than conventional, male dominated chronicles would have us believe. I now can’t imagine Medieval history without these powerful figures.
Figures who survive in fragments, devotional images and rumours. Lives that were transformed into legends and those legends later sanitized, constrained and even excised to suit patriarchal ways of remembering. Anne Komene who was a Byzantine Princess, historian and author of The Alexiad, was truly one of my favourites from Legenda.
Legenda achieves so much in three hundred pages, inviting you to linger on threads long neglected by history. Ramirez reframes and reconstructs legend as evidence and not just some naïve folklore. Legends aren’t failures of history- they carry layers of moral, political, and cultural meaning across centuries.
Legenda pulls us closer to the medieval imagination, revealing not only what women did but what society imagined they could do. The women their communities chose to remember. Their histories are far more crowded, vivid, and alive than conventional, male dominated chronicles would have us believe. I now can’t imagine Medieval history without these powerful figures.
December 7, 2025
I didn’t know what to expect from this book when I first received it. While this book is, at its core, an uncovering of the myths that make certain legendary female characters, it’s also about how modern politics will co-op a historical figure to suit their narrative. It was really interesting how Ramirez dives into the idea of nation-states, which didn’t exist in the medieval period.
Throughout reading this book, I kept trying to find other books to read about the women written about in this book. While figure like Joan of Arc and Catherine of Siena have other biographies, I was disappointed to find out that 18th century figures like Laskarina Bouboulina haven’t been given the same attention. This captivating book does a great job of looking deeper into the history of the real women behind the myths, whilst also bringing more sidelined women into the forefront.
Throughout reading this book, I kept trying to find other books to read about the women written about in this book. While figure like Joan of Arc and Catherine of Siena have other biographies, I was disappointed to find out that 18th century figures like Laskarina Bouboulina haven’t been given the same attention. This captivating book does a great job of looking deeper into the history of the real women behind the myths, whilst also bringing more sidelined women into the forefront.
December 14, 2025
Nothing about this I didn’t love. Would love to have heard the pitch to the publisher: “I want to write a book about nation building and myth-making by drawing parallels between medieval and 18th / 19th c women” - BUT IT ABSOLUTELY WORKS. She writes about medieval women with such empathy and never strays into passing judgement on their lives and stories.
December 20, 2025
The follow-up to Femina is just as excellent, offering more insightful and revisionist examples of women from the medieval period and how they challenged gender norms during a turbulent period of history. This time Ramirez widens the scope to include the legacies of figures such as Joan of Arc and Catherine of Siena, considering how they have been remembered over the centuries and the parts their lives and legends have played in building modern European nations. In this age of historical appropriation and alternative facts, it's a joy to read an account which isn't afraid to push back against received wisdom, challenging stereotypes and excavating the fascinating lives of these women. All of this is delivered in Ramirez's usual accessible yet scholarly style, resulting in an informative, enjoyable and timely journey through some of history's remarkable forgotten women.
January 16, 2026
This wouldn’t be the kind of book I would normally reach for but a friend asked if I would like to go to a book reading event/talk by the author (and I never say no!) so I figured I should probably read the book before we go.
I liked the premise of the book- looking beyond the myths and stories that make up these legendary women from history but at times it was a bit of a slog. I enjoyed the first section on Joan of Arc but found the next two chapters slightly laborious to get through. It picked up again for me with chapter 4 on the Low Countries, went down in 5 on Germany and then I enjoyed the last 2 chapters. Being honest if I wasn’t going to an event I probably would have given up or put it to the bottom of my reading pile. But I’m glad I persevered and I’m hoping that the author will speak with passion and bring the characters and the book alive 🤞🏻
I liked the premise of the book- looking beyond the myths and stories that make up these legendary women from history but at times it was a bit of a slog. I enjoyed the first section on Joan of Arc but found the next two chapters slightly laborious to get through. It picked up again for me with chapter 4 on the Low Countries, went down in 5 on Germany and then I enjoyed the last 2 chapters. Being honest if I wasn’t going to an event I probably would have given up or put it to the bottom of my reading pile. But I’m glad I persevered and I’m hoping that the author will speak with passion and bring the characters and the book alive 🤞🏻
December 16, 2025
Interesting ideas and honestly, I’ve not read much about medieval women before so that was nice. Key learning is that lots of saints seem to be suffering from “holy anorexia”, by forgoing food in the service of god. So harrowing. And anther is that it’s quite intense to me that they still have Catherine of Siena’s head in a box which they pass around. I sort of get reliquaries that are cloths or even maybe a foreskin (in some ways removable…). But fingers and heads is a lot
December 11, 2025
Interesting. Explores the political uses of legendary women, both historically and today.
January 8, 2026
Misschien 3.5 :)
Interessant boek! Meer diepgang of meer verhaal verwacht misschien.
Interessant boek! Meer diepgang of meer verhaal verwacht misschien.
December 16, 2025
When we think of famous medieval European women, we often think of figures like Joan of Arc and Isabella of Castile. They are seen as women who broke the mold and challenged traditional stereotypes by becoming leaders in traditionally male-dominated fields. These women would be used to craft the identities of their respective nations, but they would help shape the identities of other women from the 18th and 19th centuries. We think we know the stories about these medieval women and their lives, but what new information can we learn from their lives when we examine their lives from their eras? Janina Ramirez takes the stories of seven medieval women and their contemporaries to show how their legacies have been transformed in her latest book, “Legenda: The Real Women Behind the Myths That Shaped Europe.”
This is the third book that I have read by Janina Ramirez, as I have read her book “Femina” and her biography on Julian of Norwich, which I loved. So when I saw that she was writing a new book about medieval women, I knew it was an instant buy for me.
While there have been centuries worth of amazing women from all over the world, Ramirez is focusing on seven countries/areas of interest: France, the Iberian Peninsula, Greece, the Low Countries, Germany, Italy, and Britain. In each chapter, Ramirez focuses on two women or groups of women, one from the medieval era and one from either the 18th or the 19th century. For the medieval period, she has selected: Joan of Arc, Isabella of Castile, Anna Komene, Marie of Oignies and the Beguines, Empress Adelaide of Bavaria, Catherine of Siena, and Lady Godiva. For the more modern women, Ramirez focuses on Charlotte Corday, Agustina Raimunda Maria Saragossa, Laskarina Bouboulina, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Lola Montez, Anna ‘Nina’ Morisi, and Queen Victoria.
What is truly inspiring about this book is seeing these stories removed from the glossy veneer used to promote nationalism, to show that these women were real and they made a difference by being themselves. We get to see warriors, writers, queens, empresses, revolutionaries, and religious women. However, we also get to see them as daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers. These women did not live in a vacuum. They lived and were more than just symbols for their nations. They fought in their own ways for what they believed was right, whether it was to protect their families or their nations, or following the path set forward by their faith. These women were real, and they were not myths; they were human.
This is another sensational book by Ramirez. While I did know a few of the medieval women featured in this book, I knew nothing about the 18th and 19th-century women, which was thrilling to see how Ramirez weaved these tales together. I loved this book so much, and I am excited to see what she will write next. If you love medieval women’s history and learning more about their legacies, I highly recommend you read “Legenda: The Real Women Behind the Myths That Shaped Europe” by Janina Ramirez.
This is the third book that I have read by Janina Ramirez, as I have read her book “Femina” and her biography on Julian of Norwich, which I loved. So when I saw that she was writing a new book about medieval women, I knew it was an instant buy for me.
While there have been centuries worth of amazing women from all over the world, Ramirez is focusing on seven countries/areas of interest: France, the Iberian Peninsula, Greece, the Low Countries, Germany, Italy, and Britain. In each chapter, Ramirez focuses on two women or groups of women, one from the medieval era and one from either the 18th or the 19th century. For the medieval period, she has selected: Joan of Arc, Isabella of Castile, Anna Komene, Marie of Oignies and the Beguines, Empress Adelaide of Bavaria, Catherine of Siena, and Lady Godiva. For the more modern women, Ramirez focuses on Charlotte Corday, Agustina Raimunda Maria Saragossa, Laskarina Bouboulina, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Lola Montez, Anna ‘Nina’ Morisi, and Queen Victoria.
What is truly inspiring about this book is seeing these stories removed from the glossy veneer used to promote nationalism, to show that these women were real and they made a difference by being themselves. We get to see warriors, writers, queens, empresses, revolutionaries, and religious women. However, we also get to see them as daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers. These women did not live in a vacuum. They lived and were more than just symbols for their nations. They fought in their own ways for what they believed was right, whether it was to protect their families or their nations, or following the path set forward by their faith. These women were real, and they were not myths; they were human.
This is another sensational book by Ramirez. While I did know a few of the medieval women featured in this book, I knew nothing about the 18th and 19th-century women, which was thrilling to see how Ramirez weaved these tales together. I loved this book so much, and I am excited to see what she will write next. If you love medieval women’s history and learning more about their legacies, I highly recommend you read “Legenda: The Real Women Behind the Myths That Shaped Europe” by Janina Ramirez.
December 29, 2025
Bunătatea ești tu „Legenda- The real Women Behind the Myths That Shaped Europe”, Janina Ramirez, WH Allen, 2025
„Cu femeile din Evul Mediu în calitate de călăuze, istoriile moderne ale națiunilor se dezvăluie în toată complexitatea lor dezordonată”. p.6 Janina Ramirez, „Legenda- The real Women Behind the Myths That Shaped Europe”, WH Allen, 2025
Statuile prăfuite și legende siropoase ar putea să aibă farmecul lor uneori! Dar și mai ofertantă se dovedește realitatea lăsată de obicei în umbră de mitologia construită în jurul unei figuri istorice. Mai ales când e o figură feminină. Janina Ramirez, în „Legenda”, dinamitează miturile femeilor iconice din istoria Europei. Ea îți arată cum Ioana d'Arc, Lady Godiva sau Isabella de Castilia au fost transformate în marionete pentru interese politice mai mult sau mai puțin îndoielnice. Credeai că Ioana era doar o sfântă? Gândește-te la Jean-Marie Le Pen, care a cooptat-o pentru naționalismul său! Lady Godiva, din simbol al sacrificiului, a ajuns cadou provocator pentru Regina Victoria. Și toate caricaturizările suveraniste. Ramirez îți demonstrează că figurile istorice, infinit mai complexe și mai umane, în realitate, au fost deturnate de-a lungul secolelor pentru a construi identități naționale și pentru a servi agende ideologice, de la fascism la religie. Cartea e un masterclass de demitizare, o invitație la gândire critică. Nu doar că rescrie istoria, ci te învață să citești printre rânduri propaganda din spatele oricărui „adevăr” istoric. O lectură vibrantă, accesibilă și esențială pentru a înțelege cum funcționează manipularea și cum poți revendica poveștile reale, în toată splendoarea lor dezordonată.
„Edificarea națiunii nu e neapărat să aducă dezbinare- toți creăm națiunile din care facem parte și avem responsabilități personale și colective față de acestea, în afara preocupărilor pe care le au ce bogați și cei puternici”. p.326 Janina Ramirez, „Legenda- The real Women Behind the Myths That Shaped Europe”, WH Allen, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmJmd...
„Cu femeile din Evul Mediu în calitate de călăuze, istoriile moderne ale națiunilor se dezvăluie în toată complexitatea lor dezordonată”. p.6 Janina Ramirez, „Legenda- The real Women Behind the Myths That Shaped Europe”, WH Allen, 2025
Statuile prăfuite și legende siropoase ar putea să aibă farmecul lor uneori! Dar și mai ofertantă se dovedește realitatea lăsată de obicei în umbră de mitologia construită în jurul unei figuri istorice. Mai ales când e o figură feminină. Janina Ramirez, în „Legenda”, dinamitează miturile femeilor iconice din istoria Europei. Ea îți arată cum Ioana d'Arc, Lady Godiva sau Isabella de Castilia au fost transformate în marionete pentru interese politice mai mult sau mai puțin îndoielnice. Credeai că Ioana era doar o sfântă? Gândește-te la Jean-Marie Le Pen, care a cooptat-o pentru naționalismul său! Lady Godiva, din simbol al sacrificiului, a ajuns cadou provocator pentru Regina Victoria. Și toate caricaturizările suveraniste. Ramirez îți demonstrează că figurile istorice, infinit mai complexe și mai umane, în realitate, au fost deturnate de-a lungul secolelor pentru a construi identități naționale și pentru a servi agende ideologice, de la fascism la religie. Cartea e un masterclass de demitizare, o invitație la gândire critică. Nu doar că rescrie istoria, ci te învață să citești printre rânduri propaganda din spatele oricărui „adevăr” istoric. O lectură vibrantă, accesibilă și esențială pentru a înțelege cum funcționează manipularea și cum poți revendica poveștile reale, în toată splendoarea lor dezordonată.
„Edificarea națiunii nu e neapărat să aducă dezbinare- toți creăm națiunile din care facem parte și avem responsabilități personale și colective față de acestea, în afara preocupărilor pe care le au ce bogați și cei puternici”. p.326 Janina Ramirez, „Legenda- The real Women Behind the Myths That Shaped Europe”, WH Allen, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmJmd...
February 2, 2026
This was a real let-down after the brilliant "Femina". To begin with, the editing was sloppy - there were spelling mistakes, grammatical errors ("the monks's way of life"), and dangling participles which actually obscured the meaning of the sentence at times. The writing was quite clunky.
But more than that, for me, it didn't hang together. The project - women who contributed to the forging of nations even if some of them lived at a time when "nation" wasn't a concept - is an exciting one, but I don't think she succeeded. The chapters about the lesser-known women were far more interesting than the litanies of royal princesses and queens - but quite often the link between the medieval woman and the 19th century woman was quite forced.
One stand-out chapter was the description of the women in the beguinages in "The Low Countries", but here a map would have helped for people who don't know the geography of Belgium. Having lived there for several years, I'm not that sure that the women she writes about really did a lot to forge the Belgian nation - and indeed, people still fall out over whether or not such a thing exists. And in Germany (where I lived for much longer) there is a lot of heart-searching about the identity of the German nation, and her chapter linking Lola Montez and Empress Adelheid didn't convince me.
When it comes to Britain, she makes the beginner's mistake of thinking that England = Britain. Lady Godiva and Queen Victoria did nothing to forge my Scottish identity.
So, three stars for the idea, and for some of the genuinely interesting parts.
But more than that, for me, it didn't hang together. The project - women who contributed to the forging of nations even if some of them lived at a time when "nation" wasn't a concept - is an exciting one, but I don't think she succeeded. The chapters about the lesser-known women were far more interesting than the litanies of royal princesses and queens - but quite often the link between the medieval woman and the 19th century woman was quite forced.
One stand-out chapter was the description of the women in the beguinages in "The Low Countries", but here a map would have helped for people who don't know the geography of Belgium. Having lived there for several years, I'm not that sure that the women she writes about really did a lot to forge the Belgian nation - and indeed, people still fall out over whether or not such a thing exists. And in Germany (where I lived for much longer) there is a lot of heart-searching about the identity of the German nation, and her chapter linking Lola Montez and Empress Adelheid didn't convince me.
When it comes to Britain, she makes the beginner's mistake of thinking that England = Britain. Lady Godiva and Queen Victoria did nothing to forge my Scottish identity.
So, three stars for the idea, and for some of the genuinely interesting parts.
December 29, 2025
I thought this was a very interesting read! Janina Ramirez definitely has to be one of my favourite historians right now. I enjoy her writing immensely.
I did feel like the connection between the modern day and historical women discussed did get a bit weaker as the book went on. Fo example, in the first chapter we get a small intro to Charlotte Corday who was directly compared to Joan of Arc before getting into the historical evidence surrounding Joan. By the end, we get a regaling of Prince Albert’s birthday party, at which Queen Victoria gives him a statue of Lady Godiva, before going into a discussion about the historical Lady Godiva.
There is a connection between the modern and historical components in every chapter don’t get me wrong, and it is very interesting to follow Janina Ramirez as she breaks down the nostalgic barrier, but at times the connections felt a little weak. Still really interesting!! Definitely recommend
I did feel like the connection between the modern day and historical women discussed did get a bit weaker as the book went on. Fo example, in the first chapter we get a small intro to Charlotte Corday who was directly compared to Joan of Arc before getting into the historical evidence surrounding Joan. By the end, we get a regaling of Prince Albert’s birthday party, at which Queen Victoria gives him a statue of Lady Godiva, before going into a discussion about the historical Lady Godiva.
There is a connection between the modern and historical components in every chapter don’t get me wrong, and it is very interesting to follow Janina Ramirez as she breaks down the nostalgic barrier, but at times the connections felt a little weak. Still really interesting!! Definitely recommend
December 29, 2025
This had so much potential to be amazing, there has clearly been a huge amount of research and a fantastic range of both individuals and geography, however it just felt a bit jolting and a bit of a slog.
January 12, 2026
This is a great read about medieval women whose lives have been ignored and exploited..My favs were Joan of Arc,Isabella of Castile and Lady Godiva.Love it when established narratives are challenged and Women’s stories rise to the fore.
January 24, 2026
The second of her women of history books this is equally as good as the first volume. Professor Doctor Janina Ramirez is an exceptionally skilled writer and this book is meticulously researched. It is informative and inspirational. And directly relevant to our modern world
November 26, 2025
I am so sick of historians erasing Scottish and Welsh history and trying to claim only English history is British history
December 4, 2025
I enjoyed Femina. But LOVED this.
December 29, 2025
Loved the historical context, learned so much especially about Lady Godiva, who I knew nothing about.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the medieval period.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the medieval period.
January 17, 2026
Another great book from Janina Ramirez, clarifying what women from the past were actually like rather than the versions of them which have been co-opted by modern people for their own ends.
January 19, 2026
DNF, There are so many loony religious women I can take.
January 21, 2026
I always forget how much of popular history is simply effective story-telling. I don‘t think all the oarallelswork well, but it is effective story-telling.
January 27, 2026
Started off strong but became a boring mess… hurts to say about my queen Janina 3
February 12, 2026
smashing it out of the park once more! 🙌
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews