Join us on International Women’s Day 2026, as internationally renowned author Janina Ramirez discusses her latest book, Legenda: The Real Women Behind the Myths That Shaped Europe, followed by a Q&A and book signing.
Legenda peels back the layers of time to reveal how the lives of women have been co-opted by those intent on crafting national identities. Their names are well known, and summaries of their achievements have been recited in classrooms for decades, but 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 too easily dismissed or ignored. Questioning established narratives and 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.
Discover more about these incredible women and their amazing achievements at Salisbury Cathedral, surrounded by the tombs and monuments of women who shaped our past.
About the author
DR JANINA RAMIREZ is a presenter, lecturer and researcher, specialising in interpreting symbols and examining art works within their historical context. She is Course Director for the Undergraduate Certificate and Diploma in History of Art at the Department for Continuing Education, Oxford University and president of Gloucester History Festival. She has also written and presented a number of documentaries for BBC4 and R4. Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It (WH Allen) was an instant no1 Sunday Times bestseller, a Waterstones & Hatchards Book of the Month, and was shortlisted for the Cundill History Prize.
This event is organised by Salisbury Cathedral.
Tickets are available through the Cathedral Box Office
01722 656555 | www.salisburycathedral.org.uk
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