On the Spot: Justine Firnhaber-Baker
‘What is the most common misconception about my field? That medieval people were dumber than modern ones.’
Why are you a historian of medieval France?
I study France because I like spending time there. I study the Middle Ages because it’s hard and I am a glutton for punishment.
What’s the most important lesson history has taught you?
Expect the unexpected.
Which history book has had the greatest influence on you?
Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, which I read as a teenager. It was the first time I’d seen history written from an inclusive perspective.
What book in your field should everyone read?
Marion Meade’s Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Which moment would you most like to go back to?
VE Day in New York City.
Which historian has had the greatest influence on you?
My PhD supervisor, Thomas N. Bisson, a model of dignity, culture, and kindness.
Which person in history would you most like to have met?
Abbess Heloise of the Paraclete, a fierce and fiercely intelligent woman.
How many languages do you have?
One fewer than Heloise had.
What is the most common misconception about your field?
That medieval people were dumber than modern ones.
What historical topic have you changed your mind on?
The importance of cross-border communication to late medieval revolts.
Who is the most underrated person in history…
King Jean II was captured on the battlefield in 1356, but his fiscal and military reforms put France on track to (almost) win the Hundred Years War 80 years early.
… and the most overrated?
Joan of Arc, though I may change my mind about that.
Is there an important historical text you have not read?
I have never managed to finish Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie’s Montaillou.
What’s your favourite archive?
The archives départementales de l’Oise in Beauvais, France.
What’s the best museum?
The museum of the Rhode Island School of Design.
What technology has changed the world the most?
Birth control.
Recommend us a historical novel...
Hella Haasse’s In a Dark Wood Wandering.
... and a historical drama?
If you haven’t seen A Lion in Winter, you should do that right now.
You can solve one historical mystery. What is it?
Why did King Philippe II want to divorce his second wife so badly?
Justine Firnhaber-Baker is Professor of History at the University of St Andrews. Her latest book is House of Lilies: The Dynasty That Made Medieval France (Allen Lane, 2024).
