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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... important in the centuries that followed but , scholars have suggested , the definition of virginity began to shift . From about the thirteenth century onward , religious authors came to see a wom- an's spiritual state as an important ...
... important roles in heretical movements , but it would be wrong to see heretical communities as ones that allowed women significantly greater opportunities than they allowed men . JEWISH WOMEN In terms of their role in religion , Jewish ...
... important part of religious practice . Letters show that medieval Jews looked back to Biblical women as important examples : one hoped that the new wife of a family member would be like Rachel and Leah , “ who both built the house of ...
Contents
Women and Religion | 27 |
Women and Work | 59 |
Women and the Family | 91 |
Copyright | |
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