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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Sandy Bardsley. conscious of social class and strove to improve their families ' places in the social hierarchy . Women became important in their families ' class strat- egies , whether as potential marriage partners , useful in forging ...
Sandy Bardsley. conscious of social class and strove to improve their families ' places in the social hierarchy . Women became important in their families ' class strat- egies , whether as potential marriage partners , useful in forging ...
... social mobility . That is to say , the social rank into which one was born mattered a great deal , and it was difficult to move from one social status to another . If a woman were born a peasant , chances were extremely high that she ...
Contents
Women and Religion | 27 |
Women and Work | 59 |
Women and the Family | 91 |
Copyright | |
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