Ælfgif-who? provides short biographies of early medieval English women twice a month.
Hello lovely subscribers!
It’s hard to believe it has been a whole year since I published the first edition of Ælfgif-who? on International Women’s Day 2021. Since then, Ælfgif-who? has hit almost 5000 subscribers, become the second most popular history newsletter on the platform, and published 25 biographies exploring the lives of over 30 different early medieval English women (only three of whom are called Ælfgifu).
We’ve learned about powerful women rulers like Cynethryth, Æthelflaed, and Emma of Normandy, and saintly queens like Bertha and Margaret of Scotland. We’ve explored the lives and legacies of important English saints like Æthelthryth and Hild, and the not-so-important saints like Æthelgifu. We’ve uncovered the possible truths behind legendary women like Lady Godiva and Bega, and the possible lies behind the tales of scandalous queens like Eadburh and Ælfgifu. We’ve read about monastic women famous for their writing skills like Hugeburc and Eadburga, and constructed written histories around women who exist to us primarily through archaeology, like Eanswith and the North Elmham and Fairford women. We’ve followed women like Balthild and Leoba on their journeys to become influential figures on the continent, and continental women like Judith and Gundrada as they became influential in England.
If you’re a new subscriber and you haven’t already, I would recommend using Ælfgif-who’s landing page on Substack to look back through the catalogue. Ælfgif-who? is not just about one-off emails and podcasts, but building a collection of biographies online that talk to each other, and through which connections and networks can be identified.
Newsletter milestones
In July 2021 illustrator Pollie Scott came on board and retrospectively illustrated every biography so we could put faces to names - that’s a saintly woman right there! She continues to paint these beautiful illustrations twice a month and I’m forever grateful for her involvement in the project, which has turned Ælfgif-who? from an informative newsletter-podcast into something really special. If you’d like to see more of her art and medieval-style illustration you can follow her Facebook page.
July also saw the launch of paid subscriptions, so I could keep the newsletter going after my PhD funding ran out. I’m grateful to each and every one of you who decided to support the newsletter in this way - you literally keep it running. Paid subscribers have been able to access bonus newsletters on thematic topics like the role of women in the conversion to Christianity, the value of looking at maternal ancestors, medieval women’s clothing, wedding ceremonies, and special Halloween and Christmas editions of the newsletter.
While I’m incredibly proud of what Ælfgif-who? has achieved, I can see there is room for improvement. The biography format lends itself well to focusing on individual women, but this means most of the women explored are elites - royal saints, queens, landowners. I have discussed historical biases towards the elites a lot in my thematic paywalled posts, but I’m aware how my own newsletter perpetuates this bias. There might not be a perfect approach to address this, but it’s something I hope to improve in future - it might mean focusing on more archaeological sources as well as written, and actively searching for opportunities to talk about all kinds of women in society. My intention was never to glorify elite women of the past, but simply to root out and illuminate the stories we are able to tell.
A short break
With all this in mind, after a year of publishing Ælfgif-who?, writing thirty or so articles, alongside working on my PhD part-time and working as an intern at the University of Leeds Special Collections, I think I need a few weeks off! During this time I will be re-publishing some of my early posts. All paid subscriptions will be paused from next week, so nobody will be charged for time I’m not writing new newsletters.
When I return re-charged, I have some very exciting things to share with you - including some Ælfgif-who? merchandise! Watch this space!
Yours,
Florence (author)
Its a fantastic body of work and very much enjoyed and appreciated. The work you put in, love of the subject & knowledge shines through. For me you don't need to pause subscription, everyone deserves holiday pay 😀. Have a good bit of time to yourself and looking forward to what comes next.
Nice one!!