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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... mother of the Virgin Mary , teaching her daughter to read . Sculptures and manuscript illustrations show the young Mary lean- ing against her mother's knee as she learned scripture . Boys as well as girls were taught piety at their mothers ...
... mother . Among the rich , this period of lying - in was one in which new mothers might enjoy a well - earned rest of four to six weeks while other women cared for the baby . Rich Florentines sometimes hired a special servant , called a ...
... mother on one other occasion , two decades later.68 Similarly , Adela , Countess of Blois in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries , made astute arrangements for the marriage of her children in which she balanced carefully the ...
Contents
Medieval Women | 1 |
Women and Religion | 27 |
Women and Work | 59 |
Copyright | |
6 other sections not shown