Extraordinary women have held positions of power throughout history. But, aside from the select few, why do we not hear about them? The middle ages are seen as a bloodthirsty time of Vikings, Saints and Kings: a patriarchal society that oppressed and excluded women. But by digging a little deeper into the truth, drawing on evidence from all disciplines, we can see that the 'dark' ages were anything but.

BBC historian Janina Ramirez has uncovered countless influential women's names struck out of historical records, with the word 'Femina' annotated beside them. Male gatekeepers of the past ordered books to be burnt, artworks to be destroyed, and new versions of myths, legends and historical documents to be produced, which has manipulated our view of history.

Dr Janina Ramirez is a lecturer, researcher, author and broadcaster. She specialises in interpreting symbols, medieval art, and examining visual culture in an interdisciplinary manner. Following a degree in English Language and Literature at St Anne’s College, Oxford, Nina completed her Masters and PhD at the Centre for Medieval Studies in York on the Symbolic Life of Birds in Anglo-Saxon England.

Janina has taught at York, Warwick and Winchester Universities, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and was Course Director for the Undergraduate Certificate and Diploma in History of Art at the Department for Continuing Education, Oxford University.

She has published extensively, including monographs on The Private Lives of Saints, Julian of Norwich and Beowulf. She has also written a series of children's novels and non-fiction, including Goddesses in collaboration with the British Museum. Her forthcoming book, Femina, is due for release July 22 with Penguin-Random house.

She has worked on a number of documentaries for the BBC, including the acclaimed 'Raiders of the Lost Past' series, ‘Saints & Sinners: Britain’s Millennium of Monasteries’, ‘Illuminations: The Private Lives of Medieval Kings’ and ‘Chivalry & Betrayal: The Hundred Years War’. She is consultant on the York University/St Paul's Cathedral three-year AHRC-funded Pantheons project, is a patron of many organisations, including NSEAD, the Stained Glass Society and Oxford Festival of the Arts. She is currently supervising three DPhil students and would be interested in new applicants.