New Medieval Books: Widow City
In late medieval Italy, women often outlived their husbands. This book examines writings from the period to explore the different ways widows mourned their spouses and how they chose to carry on with their lives afterwards.
Leoba: England’s Earliest Female Poet
In the eighth century, an English nun named Leoba composed a short Latin poem that has quietly survived for more than a millennium. Though brief, the verse offers valuable insight into the education, literary culture, and spiritual ambitions of women in the early medieval Church.
New Encyclopedia Highlights Medieval Women’s Writing Around the World
A major new reference work is aiming to reshape how medieval literature is taught and studied, by putting women’s writing—across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia—at the centre of the story
Why Lady Godiva’s Medieval Ride Still Matters Today
A new study is taking a closer look at how the story of Lady Godiva—an eleventh-century noblewoman best known for her legendary ride through Coventry—has continued to shape protest movements, artistic expression, and popular culture for centuries.
New Medieval Books: Twenty-Five Women Who Shaped the Italian Renaissance
Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Italian women left a clear imprint as rulers, writers, artists, and intellectuals. This book profiles 25 of them, tracing their lives, work, and the worlds they moved through.
Women Beyond the Cross: Power, Myth, and Agency in the Viking World
Explore how women in the Viking world exercised power and agency through myth, law, and daily life—challenging the idea that medieval society universally confined women to subordinate roles.
Clothing and Hair of Medieval Mongolian Women
How did medieval Mongolian women wear their hair and dress at court? This feature explores braids, shaving customs, and the iconic boqta headdress across Yuan and Ilkhanid art, travellers’ accounts, and archaeological finds.
Work, Prayer and Service: The Beguines of Medieval Paris
A detailed look at the beguines of medieval Paris, examining their origins, royal support, daily life, and the debates their unconventional religious vocation sparked.
Balthild of Francia with Isabel Moreira
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Isabel Moreira about Queen Balthild of Francia, her influence, and her lasting legacy.
New Medieval Books: The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe
This book profiles more than forty women associated with the Burgundian court between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, highlighting their influential roles in governance, religion, and the arts.
New Medieval Books: The Queenship of Mathilda of Flanders, c. 1031-1083
Mathilda of Flanders was the Duchess of Normandy and, following the Norman Conquest, became Queen of England. This book explores her life and achievements as one of the most powerful and influential women of the eleventh century.
The Mongol Wrestler Princess: The Story of Qutulun
Discover the extraordinary life of Qutulun, the Mongol princess who never lost a wrestling match. Explore how this undefeated warrior and daughter of Qaidu Khan shaped politics, warfare, and legend in the Mongol Empire.
The Voice of a Medieval Duchess: Matilda of Głogów and Her Charters
Matilda of Głogów’s charters reveal how a medieval duchess asserted authority, supported religious women, and invoked female saints to shape her rule in Silesia.
Pola of Rome: The Remarkable Story of a Medieval Jewish Scribe
Pola of Rome defied expectations in more ways than one: not only was she a professional scribe in the late thirteenth century, she was a Jewish woman working in a field dominated by male Christian clerics. Her surviving colophons offer a rare glimpse into the intellectual life, family networks, and self-perception of a medieval woman who made her living through the written word.
New Medieval Books: Lionessheart
The daughter of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, Joanna of England lived a life deeply entangled in the turbulent politics of the Angevin Empire.
When the Groom Paid the Dowry: New Study Rethinks Marriage in Medieval Catalonia
A new study reveals that in 13th- and 14th-century Catalonia, some grooms brought dowries to their brides, challenging long-held assumptions about gender and wealth in medieval marriage
New Medieval Books: Balthild of Francia
In the seventh century, Balthild rose from servitude to become queen of Neustria and Burgundy through her marriage to Clovis II. Following his death, she served as queen regent for their son, Chlothar III, and earned a reputation as a capable and reform-minded ruler—particularly noted for her efforts to end the practice of slavery. This book explores her remarkable life and legacy.
Uncovering Margaret Paston’s Hidden Voice: How Forensic Linguistics Revealed a Medieval Woman’s Authentic Words Through 500-Year-Old Letters
Using computational analysis to solve a 15th-century mystery: Did scribes silence Margaret Paston’s true voice?
Female Spy Network Uncovered in Medieval Ypres, Study Finds
New research uncovers a hidden network of female spies and messengers in medieval Ypres, revealing how women played a crucial role in wartime intelligence during the Flemish revolt against Maximilian of Austria.
New Medieval Books: Laywomen and the Crusade in England, 1150-1300
The Crusades enjoyed widespread support in Western Europe, and efforts on the home front were focused on mobilizing fighters for the Holy Land. This book explores the role of women in England in encouraging men to take up the Cross.
Pregnancy and Power in the Viking Age: New Study Reveals Surprising Roles for Expectant Women
A new study uncovers how pregnant women in Viking society were imagined not only as mothers, but sometimes as warriors.
Mothers Who Weren’t: Wet Nurses in the Medieval Mediterranean
Explore the complex and often harsh realities of wet nursing in the Middle Ages, from slave contracts to moral expectations—revealing how “mothers who weren’t” shaped medieval childhood and society.
The Hidden Financiers: Women’s Role in Medieval Commerce
Discover how medieval women—noblewomen, abbesses, and merchants—played vital roles in managing estates, running businesses, and shaping the economic life of the Middle Ages.
New Medieval Books: The Queens and Royal Women of Sweden, c. 970–1330
Over thirty Swedish queens are profiled in this book, the first major study of royal women in Sweden between the 10th and 14th centuries. It offers new insights into the evolution of medieval queenship.