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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... received eagerly ( once she had passed certain spiritual tests ) by the heir to the French throne , but the English were much more suspicious and believed she had faked them . Like Marguerite , Joan was burned at the stake , the ...
... received as wives , daughters , or servants of a guildsman served as unofficial apprenticeships . Nonetheless , they were often excluded from guilds . Sometimes wives were admitted as sisters who paid lower admission fees and ...
... received smaller inheritance portions than their brothers , and had fewer opportu- nities to receive training that would help them gain better - paid jobs . Yet although contemporaries saw them as marginal and seldom mentioned them ...
Contents
Women and Religion | 27 |
Women and Work | 59 |
Women and the Family | 91 |
Copyright | |
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