Licoricia of Winchester: Power and Prejudice in Medieval England

A fresh look at Licoricia, who defied stereotypes to thrive in an age of religious persecution

Licoricia of Winchester (early 1200s–1277) rose from obscurity to become the most successful female financier in thirteenth-century England. In this inspiring chronicle of an extraordinary Jewish woman, Rebecca Abrams tells the story of Licoricia and the Jews of medieval England, set against a backdrop of political unrest and rising antisemitism, opening a window onto a period of English history whose aftershocks linger to this day. Riveting in detail and accessible in style, this book sets Licoricia’s experiences and achievements within the local landscape of medieval Winchester and in the wider context of Jewish life in England at that time, amid the power struggles and turbulence of early Plantagenet rule.

Licoricia’s story is both inspirational and enlightening. In her long and eventful lifetime, she defied one stereotype after another: a woman who thrived in a patriarchal and misogynistic world; a commoner who became a powerbroker in a realm of aristocrats and monarchs; and a member of a religious minority who achieved personal and professional success in a Christian country in an age of murderous religious persecution.

Rebecca Abrams is a British author, teacher, and journalist. Her books include Touching Distance, The Jewish Journey, When Parents Die, and Three Shoes One Sock & No Hairbrush. She is a teacher of creative writing at the University of Oxford and a regular literary critic for the Financial Times.