A history of the early European middle ages through the eyes of women.

Lisa M. Bitel is Professor of History, University of Southern California. She studied at Harvard University, the National University of Ireland and the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. Her books include Isle of the Saints: Christian Settlement and Monastic Community in Early Ireland (1990) and Land of Women: Tales of Sex and Gender from Early Ireland (1996), winner of the Byron Caldwell Prize and the James Donnelly Prize.

Introduction; 1. Gender and landscapes; 2. Invasions, migrations, and barbarian queens; 3. The theory and practice of religion; 4. Survival by kinship, marriage, and motherhood; 5. The take-off: mobility and economic opportunity; 6. Conclusion: concerning famous women before and after 1100.