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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... guild , which protected the interests of its members . Guilds ensured that no one could gain a monopoly on the supplies for their trade ( no shoemaker , for instance , could buy up all the local leather ) , and they looked after their ...
... guild . These guilds regulated the number of people working in any given occupation within a town : if the guild determined that the town could support only 12 shoemakers , no more than 12 would be permitted to set up shop . Guilds also ...
... guilds . Sometimes wives were admitted as sisters who paid lower admission fees and participated in only some of the guild's cele- brations . In many areas , widows of guild members were allowed to take over their husbands ' workshops ...
Contents
Medieval Women | 1 |
Women and Religion | 27 |
Women and Work | 59 |
Copyright | |
6 other sections not shown