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Femina: Women of the Middle Ages with Janina Ramirez

Women of the Middle Ages with Janina Ramirez video series title card

MasterclassWomen of the Middle Ages, with Janina Ramirez

Christine de Pizan, pictured speaking to a trio of inspirational women in an illustration in her Book of the City of Ladies, written around the turn of the 15th century (Photo by Album/Alamy Stock Photo)

Medieval influencers: 4 women who brought change to the Middle Ages

Hildegard of Bingen

15 minutes of fameJanina Ramirez chooses Hildegard of Bingen

When was the worst time to be alive? You'll be surprised at what our expert has to say

Medieval dinner scene.

Medieval manners and etiquette: dos and don’ts of the Middle Ages

Kavita Puri"There are other medieval women who we can bring to the foreground"

This replica painting from the Cave of Altamira in northern Spain recreates some of the remarkable Upper Palaeolithic images created by early humans between 35,000 and 14,000 years ago. Celebrated for their vivid depictions of animals and handprints, Altamira’s cave paintings are among the earliest known examples of human artistic expression.

General prehistory

Think men were always the hunters? Stone Age women took down mammoths too – and that's not all

Climbing monks, wrestling kings and marching nuns: what people in the Middle Ages did to exercise

An illustration of pilgrims on horseback.

The A to B of medieval travel: 8 tips for travelling in the Middle Ages

An illustration shows five women in colourful headscarves sewing a large piece of cloth with soldiers and horses on it

Michael Wood on women's contributions to the Bayeux Tapestry

A woman teaches a child to read in a 15th century depiction. The medieval period saw women challenge the male stranglehold on intellectual life, says Ian Mortimer (Photo by Marcello Fedeli / Electa / Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

What does medieval mean? Why the Middle Ages was actually an age of transformation

“In times of political volatility, it’s more vital than ever that we tell women’s stories” | 3 historians on the state of women's history

This illustration from the Codex Manesse (c.1300) shows Konrad von Altstetten, a Swiss ministerial, reclining with his beloved after a hunt. The lavish manuscript, compiled in Heidelberg, preserves the courtly poetry and romantic ideals of the German medieval nobility. (Photo by Getty Images)

Wandering womanisers? These charismatic bards took the medieval world (and its women) by storm

A picture of Freddie Mercury. He is wearing a white vest top with white jeans and he is holding a guitar behind his head. At the top of the guitar, a bright white light shines

The Age of Spectacle: Live Aid at 40

A 14th-century illustration of a farmer leading a pack animal through the ice and snow

The surprisingly modern Middle Ages

Members of the Vanderbilt family return to Miami Beach aboard the yacht Alva, c.1930. Descended from one of America’s wealthiest dynasties, the Vanderbilts continued to symbolise privilege and opulence into the 20th century — long after the height of their Gilded Age power.

Could you survive in the vicious Gilded Age? Here are the original influencer's secrets to success

Portrait of Frances Hoggan

General History

7 remarkable women who shaped Welsh history

"These women transformed his understanding of the world": making Malcolm X

1450 farmworkers planting seeds and harrowing a ploughed field.

Medieval wellness: how our New Year’s resolutions mirror the Middle Ages

Women's History

Coming up in the next issue of BBC History Magazine…

Coming up in the December 2025 issue of BBC History Magazine

Was there a best time to be alive? The pitfalls of looking back for a nostalgic 'golden age'

Are Bertha and George Russell real? Inside the real Vanderbilt divorces that rocked the Gilded Age

Colour illustration of people gathering outside a church during the Middle Ages

The medieval church: your guide to religion and worship in the Middle Ages

In his mother’s womb, he was fated to avenge his father – how was pregnancy understood in the Viking age?

Flower power: how plants transformed the lives of 17th-century women

Michelle Akers-Stahl, who scored twice in the final, celebrates with teammates Julie Foudy and Carin Jennings after the United States won the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup on 30 November 1991, defeating Norway 2–1. The tournament marked a turning point in the global recognition of the women’s game.

How a forgotten law helped women’s football conquer the world – but only by accident

Suffragette Annie Kenney

8 famous suffragettes and votes for women campaigners

An aerial shot of a large expanse of green land with layered edges; the site of Maiden Castle hillfort

The Romans were blamed for massacring these Iron Age warriors. But did they actually murder themselves?