Today I have cause for celebration. My first book, Trailblazing Medieval Women is now available. It’s been an exciting journey as a first-time author, and I simply cannot wait to hear what people think of the book. Here’s a little snippet of what you can expect.
The Origins of the Book
I completed my PhD in medieval history in 2017 at the University of Huddersfield. The focus of my PhD research was a twelfth-century chronicle written by a cleric named William of Tyre, in which he offered a history of the first and second crusades as well as a detailed narrative of the rulers of Jerusalem. I noticed that the Jerusalemite dynasty produced a series of women who undertook roles traditionally assigned to men. This experience led me to consider more carefully the actual roles women in medieval society performed.
As a university lecturer, I was able to explore the roles of women in more detail with my students. I came to find innumerable instances of trailblazing medieval women in all sectors and classes within society. The opportunity to explore some of these women in book format was too good to miss!
How did I select the Women who feature in my Book?
There were simply too many trailblazing medieval women to choose from! But the selection process began not behind my desk in my office, but in the theatre. My daughter and my best friend Claire (who absolutely loves her role in this process), along with her son, Al, watched SIX the Musical. One of the characters asks the others if anyone knows the names of the wives of Henry VI and Henry VII. The answer was no. When I asked my fellow theatre goers if they knew any of their names, they also had no knowledge of these women. I knew I had to bring these women into the light.
It felt unfair that their names have been largely forgotten among the general public, yet most people could name all six wives of Henry VIII. Yet these women in particular, Margaret of Anjou and Elizabeth of York, played a significant role in the history of our nation.
The Women of the Wars of the Roses
Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI, found the strength her weak husband lacked to defend his and their son’s right to the throne. Married to a man who frequently lapsed into bouts of mental illness, rendering him unable to rule, his incapacity sparked the Wars of the Roses. Margaret was a remarkable woman who commanded armies, and although she was ultimately unsuccessful in her endeavours, she showed strength and courage that many of her male contemporaries lacked. Elizabeth of York, the wife of Henry VII, established with her husband the Tudor dynasty. The mother of Henry VIII, it is surprising that she is little known outside of academia. Her marriage to Henry brought an end to the Wars of the Roses by uniting the houses of York and Lancaster. But she was much more than a mere symbol of her lineage, and in my book, I had the opportunity to explore her contribution to English history.
Elizabeth of York’s mother was an obvious choice. Elizabeth Woodville, a widowed mother of two, was not the obvious choice to become the wife of Edward IV. Yet their controversial marriage produced a large brood of children who shaped Tudor history. Unable to save her sons, the Princes in the Tower, from a terrible fate at the hands of their uncle, Richard III, Elizabeth was able to secure a worthy husband for her daughter, Elizabeth of York. She and Margaret Beaufort conspired secretly to have their children married and after Henry Tudor’s victory at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, Henry took Elizabeth of York to be his bride. Margaret was one of the most formidable and memorable women of the medieval period. Giving birth to Henry at the age of 13, she worked tirelessly to pursue the interests of her only child throughout her life.
The Women who Dared to Rule
My next selection was simple. I had been watching the tv series Vikings Valhalla, and I loved the portrayal of Emma of Normandy. She is a woman who has always intrigued me for a variety of reasons. Wed to the English King Aethelred the ‘Unready’, in 1002, Emma gave the king two sons, Edward, the future Edward the Confessor and Alfred. Viking conquests meant the royal family would flee to Emma’s native Normandy, where her sons remained. Following Aethelred’s death, Emma was recalled to England to marry the Viking invader and new king, Cnut and she ruled alongside him. She also ruled with her son by Cnut, Harthacnut, when his father died. But Edward was not so warm to his mother when he succeeded his half-brother, and Emma was removed from the centre of politics.
Empress Matilda, the daughter of Henry I, was named her father’s heir following the death of her first husband, the Holy Roman Emperor. But when her father died in 1135, Matilda’s cousin, Stephen, seized the throne. Matilda’s struggle for power precipitated a brutal civil war later dubbed the Anarchy. Matilda would never be crowned, but she did acquire the throne for her eldest son, Henry II, who would marry the wealthy Duchess of Aquitaine, Eleanor, in 1152. Together, the couple produced a large brood of children, which would include Richard the Lionheart and King John. Eleanor ruled alongside the men in her life, and her political career only ended with her death at the age of 80.
Isabella of France is perhaps one of the most trailblazing medieval women I have encountered. Married to King Edward II in 1308, Edward’s favourites, assumed to be his homosexual lovers, overshadowed her. In response, Isabella launched an invasion of England in 1326 with the help of her alleged lover, Roger Mortimer and forced her husband to abdicate in favour of their son. Isabella ruled alongside her son, Edward III, but her greed proved to be her downfall.
Women Warriors
The notion of the female warrior has always intrigued me, and I wanted to explore some of the women who reportedly took up arms in the Middle Ages, in a time when women were theoretically barred from male arenas. Aethelflaed, daughter of King Alfred the Great, could fit into several of my categories; she was a military commander, a ruler and commissioned a series of annals. Ruling the kingdom of Mercia during her husband’s illness and then in her own right after his death, Aethelflaed played a significant role in halting the Viking incursions in the early 10th century. She is also the first and only example in English history of a woman succeeded by another woman following her death in 924.
Examples of women taking up arms can also be found on the continent. Sikelgaita, wife of the Norman, Robert Guiscard, took up arms on several occasions and even challenged her husband with the following command when they tried to flee: ‘Halt! Be men!’ Matilda of Tuscany, a wealthy heiress in her own right, fought against the Holy Roman Emperor, raising and commanding armies, in her bid to secure her Italian territories. A friend and confidant of several popes, she played a significant role in the Investiture Controversy of the eleventh century. The final woman explored in this section of my book is one everyone is familiar with – Joan of Arc. It seemed implausible to exclude her from a book which explores the lives of trailblazing medieval women. Caught up in the Hundred Years’ War in the fifteenth Century, Joan secured several victories over the English for the French Dauphin and even ensured his coronation. The trials of Joan of Arc reveal her vulnerability, as well as her spiritual beliefs and patriotism.
The Women Who Wrote
The women who wrote category was a product of my determination to include one fifteenth-century self-proclaimed mystic whom I first encountered as an undergraduate – Margery Kempe. Margery was a controversial figure at a time when religious anxieties were heightened by the appearance of the Lollards. Margery had her experiences with the authorities and with people in society more broadly committed to paper and offers the rare female voice in a male-dominated world.
Anna Comnena, the first female Byzantine author, was a natural choice. As the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor, Alexius Comnenus, whose call to the west for aid in 1095 precipitated the First Crusade, Anna was well placed to offer a commentary on contemporary events. Another female author, Christine de Pizan, writing in the late fourteenth and early fifteenth century, offered a female perspective on French politics during the turbulent Hundred Years War. The first female author to solely earn a living from writing makes Christine an anomaly of her time.
You can find out more about the lives of these remarkable women in my book.
Other Trailblazing Medieval Women
There are dozens of women whom I would have loved to include in the book. Cecily of York, mother of Edward IV and the mother-in-law of Elizabeth Woodville, is one woman I intend to investigate further in a subsequent book. The mother of two English kings – Edward and Richard III, and the grandmother of Henry VIII, Cecily led a remarkable life and was a formidable woman. I would have also loved to devote more space to Aelfgifu of Northampton, the first wife of King Cnut, but again, my research on her is a matter for a future project!
What’s Next?
I am currently working on my next two books. The first will look at the Queen consorts of medieval England, from Matilda of Flanders to Anne Neville. The second will look in greater detail at the lives of the queens of the Norman kings. I am very excited to see these books in print soon!
Trailblazing Medieval Women is available now.
If you’d like to discuss the book in more detail, or any of my work, please contact me at drafirth@gmail.com
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