On this page is a growing collection of online resources concerning medieval women.

Primary sources

British Library Manuscripts

The British Library have recently digitised 93 manuscripts associated with medieval women as part of their Medieval and Renaissance Women project. https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2023/03/medieval-and-renaissance-women-full-list-of-the-manuscripts.html  

They also digitised a number of seals, which can be useful as contemporary descriptions of women and power: https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2023/05/medieval-and-renaissance-women-full-list-of-the-charters.html 

Additionally this blog post by Alixe Bovey uses several of the manuscripts to outline the experience of women in medieval society: https://www.bl.uk/the-middle-ages/articles/women-in-medieval-society  

Early Women Writers    

An online database of medieval women writers (500-1500) with short biographies and links to editions. https://www.earlywomenwriters.com  

Epistolæ: Medieval Women’s Letters 

Collection of Latin letters written by or to women (4th-13th centuries) with accompanying English translation and a note on context. https://epistolae.ctl.columbia.edu/  

Eurodocs

Links to various primary sources, focused primarily on Europe. https://eudocs.lib.byu.edu/index.php/History_of_Medieval_and_Renaissance_Europe:_Primary_Documents

Florilegium Urbanum 

A collection of sources relating to medieval urban life. A section specifically dedicated to sources on women is still in progress: http://users.trytel.com/~tristan/towns/florilegium/flor00.html  

Fordham University Internet Medieval Sourcebook  

Range of online medieval texts, selected collection of sources on women: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/sbook1v.asp    

Global Medieval Sourcebook   

Provides access to a wide variety of digitised medieval sources with translations and accompanying materials. http://sourcebook.stanford.edu/  

Monastic Matrix 

A database of sources for the study of medieval Christian religious women. https://arts.st-andrews.ac.uk/monasticmatrix/  

St Albans Psalter 

A website devoted to a psalter (a type of prayerbook) which belonged to Christina of Markyate, an eleventh-century anchoress. https://www.albani-psalter.de/stalbanspsalter/english/index.shtml 

The Paston Portal 

Includes searchable database of letters, animations, background on people and places, trails and teaching resources for KS1, KS2 and KS3. https://www.thisispaston.co.uk/

Secondary sources

Feminae 

A searchable index and bibliography of books and articles on medieval women. http://inpress.lib.uiowa.edu/feminae/Default.aspx 

Websites

Books of Duchesses: Mapping Women Book Owners, 1350-1550 

A project seeking to trace instances of female book ownership. Includes an interactive map. https://booksofduchesses.com/  

Franciscan Women: History and Culture  

An online database of biographical entries of women in the Franciscan order (13th to 18thC). http://franwomen.sbu.edu/  

Mapping the Medieval Woman 

An interactive map of medieval Paris highlighting places associated with women. https://mappingthemedievalwoman.com/  

Wars of the Roses 

Educational website built by the Richard III Society, aimed at teachers and students. https://www.warsoftheroses.com/

Websites on individual women

Christine de Pizan Digital Scriptorium    

Christine de Pizan was a prolific late medieval poet and writer, who challenged the misogynistic thought of her time. This project has digitised various manuscripts authored by Christine. https://dlmm.library.jhu.edu/en/christine-de-pizan-digital-scriptorium/.

Making of the Queen’s manuscript   

Alternatively there is also a focused case study on the Making of the Queen’s manuscript, which was a manuscript collection of Christine de Pizan’s works, compiled by Christine herself and presented to Isabel, queen of France in 1414. http://www.pizan.lib.ed.ac.uk/   

International Society of Hildegard von Bingen Studies   

A website devoted to the life and works of the medieval polymath, Hildegard von Bingen. Helpful FAQ with responses to common questions. https://www.hildegard-society.org/p/home.html

International Joan of Arc Society  

Includes a range of online sources concerning Joan. http://www.joanofarcsociety.org/  

Licoricia of Winchester  

A project dedicated to teaching about Licoricia of Winchester, a prominent thirteenth-century Jewish woman. https://licoricia.org/  

Mapping Margery Kempe 

A TEAMS edition of the Book of Margery Kempe with accompanying glossary to explain parts of the text. https://college.holycross.edu/projects/kempe/text/main.htm  

Websites with teaching resources

British Library Manuscripts

Lesson resource for KS3 https://www.bl.uk/teaching-resources/middle-ages-women 

National Portrait Gallery: 6 Wives of Henry VIII

To go along with their incredible 2024 exhibition, ‘Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens’, the National Portrait Gallery have launched some teaching resources aimed for KS3-KS5 students.

The Paston Portal 

Includes searchable database of letters, animations, background on people and places, trails and teaching resources for KS1, KS2 and KS3. https://www.thisispaston.co.uk/

Podcasts

In Our Time
Eleanor of Aquitaine

Melvyn Bragg discusses Eleanor of Aquitaine with Lindy Grant, Nicholas Vincent and Julie Barrau.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06yfhqk

Hildegard of Bingen

Melvyn Bragg talks about Hildegard of Bingen with Miri Rubin, William Flynn and Almut Suerbaum.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b047c312

Margaret of Anjou

Melvyn Bragg discusses Margaret of Anjou with Katherine Lewis, James Ross and Joanna Laynesmith.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b39v6r

Margery Kempe and English Mysticism

Melvyn Bragg discusses Margery Kempe with Miri Rubin, Katherine Lewis and Anthony Bale.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07cyfkg

Melisende, Queen of Jerusalem

Melvyn Bragg discusses Melisende of Jerusalem with Katherine Lewis, Natasha Hodgson and Danielle Park.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000bg2y

You’re Dead to Me (BBC)
The Bayeux Tapestry

Humourous podcast with Greg Jenner, Dr Janina Ramirez and Lou Sanders discussing the topic of the Bayeux Tapestry – and the women involved in its production.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0cgn8tz

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Greg Jenner, Dr Gabby Storey and Rachel Parris discuss the long and busy life and political career of Eleanor of Aquitaine.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p087r8kb

Emma of Normandy

Greg Jenner, Professor Elizabeth Tyler and Jen Brister discuss Emma of Normandy and the complex political scene of 11th-century England and Normandy.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001x47q

Joan of Arc

Greg Jenner, Catherine Bohart and Dr Helen Castor discuss Joan of Arc.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07pj5m9

Justinian and Theodora

Greg Jenner, Dr Peter Frankopan and Shappi Khorshandi discuss the ultimate Byzantine “power couple”.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07nww1w

Videos

Teaching Medieval Women YouTube

Check out our YouTube page at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeS0kJ4F9QMyOonT12dcOYw