Women's Roles in the Middle AgesInformation about women in this truly fascinating period from 500 to 1500 is in great demand and has been a challenge for historians to uncover. Bardsley has mined a wide range of primary sources, from noblewomen's writing, court rolls, chivalric literature, laws and legal documents, to archeology and artwork. This fresh survey provides readers with an excellent understanding of how women high and low fared in terms of religion, work, family, law, culture, and politics and public life. Even though medieval women were divided by social class, religion, age, marital status, place and period, they were all subject to an overarching patriarchal structure and sometimes could transcend their inferior status. Numerous examples of these exceptional women and their words are included. |
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... lady . In addition , they were required to work on their lord or lady's land for several days each week ( an obligation known as week - work ) . On the other hand , serfs had some security in that their lords or ladies rented each ...
... ladies - in - waiting to the lady of the household . Such positions were not always welcomed by girls : in the early sixteenth century , Dorothy Plumpton was sent as a teenager to the household of Lady Darcy at Birkin , about 25 miles ...
... Ladies and its sequel Treasure of the City of Ladies included advice for women of all social ranks ( although its contents do show that the author was more familiar with the lives of the elites than those of craft- speople or peasants ) ...
Contents
Women and Religion | 27 |
Women and Work | 59 |
Women and the Family | 91 |
Copyright | |
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