Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It

by Janina Ramírez

Like Emma, she knew the importance of writing her own history, and at the time of the dramatic events of 1066 she commissioned a book called The Life of King Edward.77 It is a remarkable piece of self-promotion, for although it relays events from her husband’s life, Edith continually hovers in the background.78 The first part deals with her father and brothers, justifying their actions and reinforcing their influence, while the second part is hagiography, written to emphasise the sanctity of her husband. Edith seems to have had a greater hand in the first part and much of it was composed while her husband was still alive. It was completed around 1067, when Edith’s fortunes had dramatically transformed, and it provides an incredibly important source for the wider context of the Bayeux Tapestry. In fact, it has recently been suggested that Edith may have been the brains behind the embroidery itself.