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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... remained firmly subordinate to men as a whole . Despite the many changes of the time period , the overall status of women was altered remarkably little . Indeed , some historians have argued that the changes in women's lives over time ...
... remained respon- sible for their moral education . A mother would thus lead her children in prayers and teach them basic manners . After boys reached about the age of seven , their more formal education often began , and they might be ...
... remained invisible to historians.26 Probably there were many more Amelots in medieval Paris , London , Zurich , and elsewhere whose names were never recorded . The reasons that some women remained single are also hard to gauge ...
Contents
Women and Religion | 27 |
Women and Work | 59 |
Women and the Family | 91 |
Copyright | |
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