Women in the Middle Ages

I am really excited to finally reveal the details of my next book! Coming October 2024 (November 2024 for my US followers) is my third history book, Women in the Middle Ages: Illuminating the World of Peasants, Nuns, and Queens.

The cover for my third book.

I cannot wait for this beautiful book to be out in the world! Something of a slight departure from my first two books, which were both focused biographies (Royal Witches and The Queen and the Mistress for those who don’t know) this is a much more general history, but still jam-packed with detail. This oversize book is stunningly illustrated with contemporary artwork, ranging from manuscript drawings, paintings, stained glass, statues, household objects and more. This illuminated history has close to 200 images within, showing how the visual record can complement and enhance the written record to give us a fuller picture of the lives of women in the medieval period.

Medieval women ruled over kingdoms, abbeys, and households; produced stunning works of art and craft; and did the hard work that kept ordinary families fed and clothed. In medieval written accounts, however, women’s contributions were often diminished or completely ignored. Yet art tells a different story: women appear everywhere, from manuscript miniatures to statues in cathedrals.

Women are found in all sorts of medieval artwork, including statues, seals, and paintings. Pictured are the tomb of Eleanor of Castile in Pamplona Cathedral, the seal of Helwig von Ysenburg, Schlossmuseum Braunschweig, and a portrait of Jacqueline of Hainault, Rijksmuseum.

This book traces the lives of women in Europe from roughly 1000 – 1500 AD, from all levels of society: peasants, professionals, artists, writers, nuns, nobles, and queens. Women who fought in battles and led armies; who claimed to receive mystic visions sent by God; who created pieces of art and made a living writing; who brewed beer, sold fish, and kept a home. Far from our image of meek, repressed medieval women suffering, women in the Middle Ages led varied, independent lives.

Women in the Middle Ages takes you through the general tasks a medieval woman might have to undertake throughout the day, what age she may expect to marry and what her life as wife and mother may have been like, and what other career paths may have been open to her. We explore how different countries had different cultural influences that affected what these options may have been, and how the passage of time enhanced or restricted a woman’s autonomy. Sprinkled within are also plenty of specific case studies of women we have records of, whether written or in the art, looking at what we know of their lives and how that can shape our understanding of the period.

A scene from the martyrdom story of Saint Margaret of Antioch, found within the book. Jean Fouquet, Hours of Étienne Chevalier, WikiCommons.

Even taking my personal biases aside, I truly think this is an absolutely stunning book. Filled with plenty of detail, yet accessible and short, it should be an excellent introduction to anyone new to the topic whilst also catering to those who already know plenty. And the colour and beautiful artwork within will make this a worthy book for any bookshelf or coffee table. The book is scheduled for release on 15th October in the UK (from bookshops – 22nd from Amazon), and 12th November in the USA. Please do take a look and pre-order now!

Waterstones UK: pre-order here
Foyles UK: pre-order here
Barnes & Noble US: pre-order here
Amazon UK: pre-order here
Amazon US: pre-order here

Previous Blog Post: Historical Figures: Margaret More Roper, Tudor Scholar and Writer

You may like: The Queen and the Mistress

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