On Tuesday 5 November, the Society hosted its annual Public History Lecture, held in association with Gresham College London. This year’s lecture — ‘Why Writing Women Back into History Matters’ — was presented by the historian and broadcaster, Professor Janina Ramirez.
Janina’s lecture, which is now available to watch again, was an opportunity to rethink agency in medieval history.
As Janina argued, rediscovering remarkable historical figures such as the Birka Warrior Woman, Hildegard of Bingen, and King Jadwiga offers us a fresh perspective to understand an era often dismissed as ‘nasty, brutish, and short’.
Rather than being exceptions, the lecture revealed the considerable influence and power held by medieval women and shed light on the gradual erosion of female agency over subsequent centuries. Through their rediscovery, Janina questioned traditional historical narratives to construct more nuanced, inclusive accounts that reflect the richness, complexity and diversity of the past.
Our considerable thanks to Janina for this year’s RHS Public History lecture and also to Gresham College as co-hosts of the event.
The Society’s Public History Lecture is held annually in November and recordings of many previous lectures are also available. Recent lecturers include Tom Holland, Kavita Puri, Ludmilla Jordanova and David Olusoga.
