Legenda
The Real Women Behind the Myths That Shaped Europe
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Ebury Publishing
Publishing:2nd Jul '26
£12.99
This title is due to be published on 2nd July, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£25.00(9780753560419)
From the bestselling author of FEMINA, a brilliant reappraisal of the medieval women whose lives have been exploited for political, nation-building ends.
In LEGENDA, bestselling historian Professor Janina Ramirez peels back the layers of time to reveal how the lives of women have been co-opted by those with nationalist agendas. Famous medieval women like Joan of Arc, Lady Godiva and Isabella of Castile have been misrepresented, their stories twisted and weaponised. Meanwhile, ground-breaking 18th- and 19th-century women who blazed a trail through revolutionary Europe have been forgotten, their legacies dismissed or ignored.
Searching for the real women behind the legends, Ramirez interrogates what defines a nation and who gets to build it, shining a light on how history is so often hijacked to serve the ideological and political interests of the present.
Praise for LEGENDA:
'Fearless, stunning and shockingly relevant' Alice Roberts, author of Domination
'A history like no other. Fabulous, invigorating and beguiling' Kate Mosse, author of Labyrinth
'Sensational! Janina Ramirez is writing women back into history one by one' Lauren Laverne
'A brilliant concept, conveyed with that dynamo mix: academic authority and storytelling pizzazz!' Alice Loxton, author of Eighteen
Janina Ramirez fearlessly deconstructs the dangerous historical myths and legends that have been shamelessly created to stoke division and hatred, finding complexity, truth and inspiration in this stunning - and shockingly relevant - new analysis of medieval history -- Alice Roberts, author of ANCESTORS
This is a history like no other, a top-down story of nationhood and mythology, a dazzling assessment of the past through the lens of the present and a rallying cry for the importance of history. Most of all, it's a plea to consider the real flesh-and-blood women who made the world rather than their sanitised, mythologised counterparts. A fabulous, invigorating and beguiling read -- Kate Mosse, author of LABYRINTH and WARRIOR QUEENS & QUIET REVOLUTIONARIES
In Legenda, the legendary Janina Ramirez strikes again. I love the way she cuts through the myths with her fierce mind. Stirring stuff -- Lucy Worsley, author of AGATHA CHRISTIE and JANE AUSTEN AT HOME
Sensational! Janina Ramirez is writing women back into history one by one -- Lauren Laverne
Breathtaking and urgent. From dismantling assumptions about legendary women's assigned roles as mothers of nations to re-instating them as powerful agents of change, Ramirez expands our understanding of womanhood. This book is a tour de force -- Olivette Otele, author of AFRICAN EUROPEANS
A brilliant concept, conveyed with that dynamo mix: academic authority and storytelling pizzaz! -- Alice Loxton, author of EIGHTEEN
Lively . . . important. Ramirez is urging us to become critical thinkers, able to spot those places where history has been rewritten to serve the ideological interests of whoever happens to have the largest megaphone -- Kathryn Hughes * Daily Mail *
Very readable . . . Ramirez tells each of these [women's] stories with verve , and is a knowledgeable guide to the medieval world -- Katherine Harvey * Sunday Times *
ISBN: 9780753560433
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 35mm
Weight: 500g
480 pages