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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... centuries before it was clear what this really meant . For many , the conversion from Paganism to Christian- ity was a gradual , rather than an abrupt , process . Stories attest to the role of women , such as the sixth - century Clotild ...
... century onward abbesses found that they were more answerable to the church administration . The church in the eleventh century was undergoing some important changes . While the political and economic situation of the early Middle Ages ...
... century , women were excluded from every aspect of the wool trade except spinning . Yet they were allowed to join the confraternity of linen and cotton workers as masters , provided they passed the appro- priate examinations.44 Women ...
Contents
Women and Religion | 27 |
Women and Work | 59 |
Women and the Family | 91 |
Copyright | |
5 other sections not shown