Gemma Hollman – författare

‘Hollman combines scrupulous research with spellbinding storytelling; The Queen and the Mistress will keep you turning the pages.’ - Sylvia Barbara Soberton, author of Ladies-In-Waiting: The Women Who Served Anne Boleyn‘A must-read for anyone interested in medieval women’s or royal history.’ - Catherine Hanley, author of Matilda: Empress, Queen, WarriorPhilippa of Hainault was Queen of England for forty-one years. Her marriage to Edward III when they were both teenagers was more political transaction than romantic wedding, but it would turn into a partnership of deep affection. The mother of twelve children, she was the perfect medieval queen: pious, unpolitical and fiercely loyal to both her king and adopted country.Alice Perrers entered court as a young widow and would soon catch the eye of an ageing king whose wife was dying. Born to a family of London goldsmiths, this charismatic and highly intelligent woman would use her position as the king’s favourite to build up her own portfolio of land, wealth and prestige, only to see it all come crashing down as Edward himself neared death.The Queen and the Mistress is a story of female power and passion, and how two very different women used their skills and charms to navigate a tumultuous royal court – and win the heart of the same man.

‘An important and timely book’ – Philippa Gregory‘Poignant, unique and thought-provoking’ – All About History‘This introduces new readers, in the most accessible and colourful way, to a group of royal women who certainly deserve more public notice than they have hitherto received’ – Professor Ronald Hutton, author of The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the PresentJoan of Navarre was the richest woman in the land, at a time when war-torn England was penniless.Eleanor Cobham was the wife of a weak king’s uncle – and her husband was about to fall from grace.Jacquetta Woodville was a personal enemy of Warwick the Kingmaker, who was about to take his revenge.Elizabeth Woodville was the widowed mother of a child king, fighting Richard III for her children’s lives.Often seen as the more easily manipulated pieces on the political chessboard, women – especially those with power or influence – were often subjected to rumour, scandal and intrigue directed by the men who sought to control them. In Royal Witches, Gemma Hollman explores the lives of these four unique women, looking at how rumours of witchcraft brought them to their knees in an era when superstition and suspicion was rife.

A magnificently illustrated oversize book that uses art to illuminate the lives of medieval women, from peasants to queens.Medieval women ruled over kingdoms, abbeys, and households; produced stunning works of art and craft; and did the hard work that kept ordinary families fed and clothed. In medieval written accounts, however, women’s contributions were often diminished or completely ignored. Yet art tells a different story: women appear everywhere, from manuscript miniatures to statues in cathedrals. In this book, historian Gemma Hollman uncovers the captivating story of medieval European women through the art of their time.Hollman traces the lives of women across society, with chapters dedicated to nuns like Hildegarde of Bingen, abbess, mystic, and polymath; courtiers like Christine de Pizan, author of pioneering works on women’s role in society; warriors like Joan of Arc; and the everyday women whose names are lost to history. She illustrates her text with some 150 varied works of medieval art, revealing what they tell us about the real lives of medieval women, and about medieval attitudes toward women — which were exemplified at once by Eve, the symbol of moral fallibility, and by the Virgin Mary, the paragon of virtue.With its eye-opening new perspective on the lives of medieval women and how they were portrayed, this book will be a treasure for anyone interested in the Middle Ages or women’s history.

Richard II is one of England’s most notorious kings. Just a child when he came to the throne, he was thrust into instability. Even so, Richard was not a warrior king, but a man who cared for art, literature and frivolity. Women were to be found everywhere at court, and Richard lavished them with the honour of being appointed Ladies of the Garter.But troubles rumbled under this carefree surface. The men of the court were accused of being ‘knights of Venus’ who had ‘more prowess in the bedroom than on the field of battle’, and the prevalence of women did little to help this reputation. Tensions came to a head, with clashes leading to exile and murder, the country teetering on the brink of civil war.While filled with tumult and rebellion, Richard’s reign was conversely a golden age for culture and the arts. Women found a greater importance at the heart of government and the fracturing of the royal family sowed the seeds for the Wars of the Roses. Acclaimed historian Gemma Hollman explores this fascinating period, offering a definitive look at the origins of one of the most siginificant eras of English history.