Interview with Dr Janina Ramirez

The Sunday Times bestselling author on medieval women, historical documents and her brand new online history course

Dr Janina Ramirez is a lecturer in medieval history based at the University of Oxford, a critically acclaimed broadcaster, and the author of Private Lives of the Saints, Julian of Norwich and the instant Sunday Times bestseller Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages. This January, she leads a brand new online history course for HistFest - Recovering Lost Medieval Women. To mark the launch, we chat to her about the medieval world, her research and writing process, and what attendees can expect.

How did Femina come into being?

It began in 2017 when I was filming a documentary on the remarkable medieval mystic Julian of Norwich. In searching for her lost manuscript, I found myself exploring the archives of French municipal libraries. These are treasure troves full of items taken from monasteries during the French Revolution, many of which still need cataloguing. I was shown some receipts of library holdings running through the 17th to 19th century and various abbreviations were used to indicate which books weren't preserved because they were not deemed suitable. The notes included 'witchcraft', 'heresy', 'unorthodox', but there was one word - 'femina', meaning written by a woman. The text was removed from the collection. This was such a clear indication that women have literally been written out of the record that it inspired me to find out more.

Can you describe your writing and research process?

It's quite chaotic. My books tend to emerge like a spiders web, and I don't start at the beginning and work through. I'll be inspired by a particular object or text, then I'll fall down a rabbit hole where I try to find out things that are hidden in footnotes or buried in archives. It is historical detective work and I love it! But it can mean I can go days without writing a word, then a torrent will ensue!

What was life like for women during the medieval period?

For the majority of women it would have been similar to how it is for the majority of women today across the world. Women would be married, sometimes against their will or to someone their parents thoughts suitable. Then they would raise children, look after the home and help their husbands with work. But there were other alternatives available to medieval women that were removed from the Reformation onwards, namely that they could chose the path of joining religious communities. These places would allow them access to education, to spaces where they could create and be appreciated for their achievements. And this is not a binary world. The women that rose to prominence in the medieval period were supported by male religious figures and by a society which recognised the contributions they made. Outside of the Church, there were also environments in which women equalled their male counterparts in the areas of military strategy, trade, political influence and more. There was misogyny, and many men and women were suppressed by religious interrogation across the many centuries covered by 'Femina', but Western women arguably had more agency in the medieval period than from the 16th century to the present day.

What was the most surprising thing you discovered while writing the book?

That our understanding of 'the second sex' is such a recent phenomenon! I discovered that the phrase 'a woman's place is in the home' was coined by John Calvin, and this set the cogs whirling in my brain about why this suppression was necessary going into the modern age. It also highlighted issues of class, race, and the development of nation states; how we have been educated to adhere to these systems for the benefit of those few in power. It was a shocking revelation.

If you could go back in time and meet one of the women you have written about, who would you choose?

It has to be Hildegard of Bingen - polymath, Sybil of the Rhine, advisor to emperors and kings, scientist, artist, visionary and musician. She was so extraordinary because of where and when she was born, and her exceptional status was ensured by the men and women around her. But she shines a light on other women whose words and deeds have been written out of the historical record. I would also like to meet the Birka Warrior Woman, as it is clear she was an important military individual, but I think she would ask us to question the gendered roles and the different ways identity can be expressed.

Can you tell us about the most exciting historical document you have handled in real life?

It's always exciting to handle medieval documents, as you are literally putting your finger where people from the past did, and essentially reading over their shoulders. The actual feel of a manuscript is something special too, as you can often feel the hairs of the animal that gave their skin for the vellum as you turn the crisp and heavy pages. But I'd say the most exciting was in Amsterdam where I found an old Book of Hours reused as a tiny copy of a Jewish text. The illuminations were even visible in the binding and as one text was scrapped out, another was written on top. The passage of time playing out before my eyes.

What are our biggest misconceptions about the medieval period?

That life was nasty, brutish and short. That there was general ignorance. That the 'modern' is civilised and scientific, while the medieval is superstitious and barbaric. That the Church governs all areas of life. That everyone existed in a state of war at all times. That it was grey and dark, rather than polychromatic and shining with light. That people's daily life was grim. That women were excluded from society. I could go on...

We’re looking forward to hosting your course, what can people expect?

I'm currently writing my next book, which also puts medieval women at the fore. I am so fired up and full of exciting new discoveries, and this will certainly come flooding out in the sessions. I've been on a number of research trips to discover lost relics, hidden treasures and forgotten individuals, so I'll share some of these with you. But I'm also hoping to revisit parts of 'Femina' through different lenses and ask you to come with me as fellow researchers.

Is there one bit of advice you’d give to budding medievalists?

Follow the path less trodden. Medievalists are unlucky in one respect as we have less documentary evidence to depend on than early modern, or modern historians. But we are so lucky to have so much that is still unstudied or unappreciated. Because historians have tended to focus on areas that were encouraged in later centuries - the achievements of great men, war, territorial disputes, politics - a huge amount of evidence on other areas, such as the lives of women, people of different classes and backgrounds, daily life, monastic life, have all been ignored. Archaeology is also a fabulous area where constant discoveries are being made. New evidence emerges every day, and by taking an interdisciplinary approach to studying the past every budding medievalist can find something new and exciting to say about this much misunderstood period in history.