Women in Medieval Times
By
Jackie
World History Period 4
November 2002
European Middle Ages
500 – 1500
Background
Feudalism – A social, economic system peasants reported to king and nobles.
Roman Catholic Church dominates.
Most people were peasants.
Code of Chivalry in place for knights.
Development of towns in later Middle Ages
leads to weakening of feudalism.
(Branch 1)
What was daily life like for women?
The answer depends on
who was the women’s
father and who would be
her husband.
There was great diversity
in daily life of women in the
Middle Ages in Europe.
Social class and wealth
determined life style.
Though this was a male
dominated time, in practice
many women had a social
and economic impact.
Microsoft clipart©2002
Women of Nobility
www.ruf.rice.edu/~jchance/
neh.html
Many noble
women were well
educated.
In the place of
absent crusading
husbands many
noblewomen had
the responsibility
of running large
estates.
Unmarried
noblewomen of
property had
equal rights with
men. (Stoertz 1)
Religious Women
Unmarried noblewomen
often entered convents and
nunneries.
Nunneries provided
women with opportunities
to have a devout life and
obtain an education.
Religious women were
able to explore the arts and
study medicine and
healing.
Many Abbesses had great
political as well as religious
power.
(Langley 22)
www.stanford.edu
/ class/engl165d/
Women of the Manor
The lady of the manor often
managed a large household
with many servants.
She was responsible for the
maintenance and budget of
the manor.
She was responsible for
training young servants.
Women of the manor
oversaw the village school.
They provided nursing and
other helping services to the
village.
(Boulding 67)
Microsoft Clipart ©2002
Peasant Women
cda.mrs.umn.edu/
~dronzea/3704/
Most people of the Middle
Ages were peasants.
Peasant women lived in
rural villages.
They worked in the fields
along with their husbands.
They also had
responsibility for the care
of children and the
household.
The life expectancy of a
peasant women was about
25 years.
Women in Towns
A middle class townswoman had more
freedom and an easier life than a
peasant women.
As more women moved from rural
peasant villages to the towns their life
expectancy increased.
In towns women could work in a variety
of occupations outside the home.
Women often held responsible positions
in family businesses.
Though they did not have voting rights
women could be members of the guilds.
Some apprenticeships were open to
women.
There were a few all women guilds in
England and France. ( Boulding 73)
http://library.thinkquest.org/1
2834/text/marketplace.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/1
2834/text/marketplace.html
Childbirth
www.georgetown.edu/labyrinth/
subjects/women/women.html
“The greatest hazard in the life
of a women in the 13th century
is childbirth.”
There are no obstetrical
instruments. Medicine has little
understanding of anatomy.
Doctors do not attend at births.
Midwives assist with labor and
birthing.
Noblewomen rarely nurse their
children. A wet nurse is chosen
from the peasant class.
Mortality for both mother and
infant is extremely high.
(Geis 257)
Later Middle Ages
Women in the later Middle Ages lost some ground.
In the 12th and 13th centuries attitudes about gender became
more rigid. Ideas about women’s inferior nature and thus
their subordination to men grew.
Reforms within the Catholic Church in the 13th and 14
centuries resulted in limited opportunities for women.
Changing regulations on women’s inheritance and access to
education formally limited women’s social and economic
opportunities.
But women, especially in the developing towns where some
played a role in the guilds and developing commerce,
continued to make contributions both economically and
socially.
(Canter 446)
Conclusion
So what was daily life like for women?
The answers are varied. And depend
mainly on class and economic resources.
The Middle Ages could be looked at as a
hard time to be a women. Life expectancy
was short. Most women had to work long,
difficult, physically challenging days.
But many women in all classes, especially
the upper classes made lasting
contributions in the arts, sciences and
technology.
Famous Medieval Women
Eleanor of Aquitaine – wife of Henry II patron of
the arts, large landholdings in her own right
Christine de Pisan – French writer, advocate for
women’s rights
Hildegard of Bingen – Abbess, writer and musician
Clare of Assisi – Founder of religious order
Matilda of Tuscany – Ruler of much of northern
Italy
Joan of Arc –Led French army in war with the
British
Resources
Boulding, Elsie. The Underside of History. London: Sage, 1992
Branch, Kay and al. Europe in the Middle Ages. Forsyth School District, Alpharetta, GA. March 12-14,
1998 Core Knowledge. 26 Aug. 2002. http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2
Canter, Norman. Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. New York: Viking, 1999
Hinds, K. Life in the Middle Ages: The City. New York: Benchmark, 2001.
Langley, Andrew. Medieval Life. New York: Knopf, 1996.
Napier, Sarah. “Nuns, Midwives and Witches”. Contemporary Women’s Issues. 1 March 1992. pp1114. Electric Library 200. bigchalk.com 6 Sept. 2002. http://elibrary.com/s/plus
Stoertz, Fiona. “Young Women in France and England 1050-1300. Journal of
Women’s History. Winter 2001. InfoTrac One File. Galegroup. 2002. 6 Sept 2002. http://www.web4.
infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/informark.