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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... marry ) increased in number in the late Middle Ages and early modern era.24 Although the proportions of single women to married women varied considerably over time and place , women were less likely to marry if they lived in northern or ...
... married , fewer children were born ( some , of course , had illegitimate children , but these were generally fewer in number than the children produced in a marriage ) . Single women were usually poor and often marginal , yet their ...
... MARRIED WOMEN While a minority of women would indeed remain single throughout their lives , most married at least once . Since the average life expectancy was higher for a woman than for a man , in fact , many women married several ...
Contents
Women and Religion | 27 |
Women and Work | 59 |
Women and the Family | 91 |
Copyright | |
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