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. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 35
... NOBLEWOMEN The lives of noblewomen were certainly more comfortable than those of their poorer counterparts among the peasantry and townswomen , but they were no less busy . Noblewomen are often imagined as leading lives of leisure , yet ...
... noblewoman knew all aspects of es- tate management , not just those concerning the interior of the household and its provisioning . Several surviving advice manuals for noblewomen demonstrate the breadth of expertise required . Robert ...
... noblewomen also played important roles with regard to the communities around them . Part of this responsibility was financial . Noblewomen gave alms and made charitable bequests to their local parish churches , monasteries and nunneries ...
Contents
Medieval Women | 1 |
Women and Religion | 27 |
Women and Work | 59 |
Copyright | |
6 other sections not shown