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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... children continued to be very much their responsibility . In the early years of chil- dren's lives , mothers did little ... child reluctant to marry . When her daughter Elizabeth was unwilling to marry a widower more than twice her age ...
... child . Yet while attitudes toward motherhood varied , many of the experiences of motherhood did not : throughout the Middle Ages , women coped with pregnancy , birth , and child - rearing . Although some of these experiences were ...
... children . In most medieval societies , women were not necessar- ily or automatically named sole guardians of their children . In some areas of Anglo - Saxon England , for instance , a widow was given custody of her children , but her ...
Contents
Women and Religion | 27 |
Women and Work | 59 |
Women and the Family | 91 |
Copyright | |
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