Joanna Arman gained her love of Medieval History from childhood trips to castles, cathedrals, and Joust Weeks at Arundel Castles, before reading the Venerable Bede and watching Shakespeare's history play as a graduate of the University of Winchester where she obtained a BA Degree in Medieval History quickly followed by a Masters. She has a special interest in Medieval Women: not just Queens and noblewomen but also those lower down the social order, such as female landholders, businesswomen and female plaintiffs in marriage cases. Her first book was a biography of Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians which was published by Amberley in 2017. She lives in Sussex, the county where she grew up, a stone's throw away from the South Downs.
"""By quoting contemporary letters and histories, Arman brings this woman and her world vividly to life. More than that, she shows how Matilda fits into medieval England and what gifts she left the kingdom she ruled so wisely and so well.""-- ""New York Journal of Books"""