How to Be a Medieval Woman

Catherine Hanley

The fascinating story of female experience during the medieval era, evoking the lives of these women with depth, nuance, and humanity.

Women in the Middle Ages led fascinating and often wildly differing everyday lives, depending on their social class and family situation. Yet their wealth of experience has long been obscured and overshadowed by the experiences of men, with history books often relegating women to a single, catchall chapter, as if their lives formed a unified story.

While a number of medieval women have claimed biographers’ attention, they tend to be the exceptional figures who broke the mould. What, then, of the countless others who were not exceptional and who did not blaze a new trail? How did their family lives and the constraints imposed upon them influence the ways in which they lived, worked, rejoiced, grieved, and shaped their world?

How to Be a Medieval Woman turns the spotlight on these women and examines how the concept of family impacted every aspect of their existence, whatever their social class. It draws us into bustling towns and rural villages, into courts and castles, to meet secular women of every standing and learn about their lived experiences. For the first time, the full spectrum of the female familial experience is considered, illuminating the lives of medieval women with the depth, nuance, and humanity they have always deserved.

Dr. Catherine Hanley holds a PhD in medieval studies, is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and is the author of historical works in several categories. Her scholarly writing includes a monograph based on her PhD thesis and academic journal articles in the UK, America, and France, as well as contributions to the Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology. She lives in England.

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Endorsements & Reviews

Praise for Catherine Hanley’s Lionessheart: The Life and Times of Joanna Plantagenet:

"Step forward, Joanna Plantagenet! This is an engaging, exciting and hugely enjoyable book that cleverly brings to light the multiplicity of challenges, restrictions and opportunities that faced royal women in the medieval period, moments without power but also, with careful judgement, occasions to exert power.” Jonathan Phillips, author of The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin

"With impeccable research and a solid understanding of the period, Catherine Hanley presents an educational, absorbing and accessible narrative full of historical detail, always keeping the women at the forefront of the story. Superb.” Annie Whitehead, author of Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England

"Hanley weaves a gripping tale of a little-known English princess who led an extraordinary life. Joanna's tale is one of drama, and Hanley expertly brings her to the forefront, trying to find Joanna's own thoughts and agency in a life directed by the men around her.” Gemma Hollman, author of Royal Witches

"Brings the medieval world vividly to life, recreating the always fascinating and sometimes dangerous world in which Joanna moved. Lionessheart benefits from the author's far-reaching research, aided by Hanley's clear affection and expertise for the period.” All About History