Overview

An introduction to the everyday lives of medieval European women: how they ate and slept, what their work was like, and the many factors that shaped their experiences. Ordinary people are often hard to see in the historical record. This resource for students reveals the everyday world of the Middle Ages for women: sex, marriage, work, and power. Using scholarship from both archeology and history, this book covers major daily concerns for medieval Women, their understanding of the world, their relationships with others, and their place in society. It attempts to clarify what we know and what we do not know about women's daily lives in the Western European Middle Ages, between approximately 500 and 1500 CE. Focusing on everyday life, the topics are organized around women's chores, expectations, and difficulties, especially with regard to sexuality and childbirth. In addition to broad survey information about the Middle Ages, the book also introduces major women writers and thinkers and provides some examples of their work, giving the reader an opportunity to engage with the women themselves.

Full Product Details

Author:   Belle S. Tuten (Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 23.20cm
Weight:   0.400kg
ISBN:  

9798216461579

Pages:   264
Publication Date:   19 March 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Primary & secondary/elementary & high school ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Educational: Primary & Secondary
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Preface Introduction Chronology 1. MARRIAGE AND SEXUALITY Late Antique and Early Medieval Marriage Roman Marriage Germanic Marriage Age at First Marriage The Christian Influence on Early Medieval Marriage Sex in Marriage—Fourth Through Eleventh Centuries Concubinage and Polygyny High Medieval Marriage and Sexuality Sex in Marriage—Twelfth to Fifteenth Centuries Positive and Negative Views of Sex Positive and Negative Views of Marriage and Women Jewish Marriage and Sexuality Rape and Sexual Violence Domestic Abuse Conclusion 2. CHILDBIRTH, CHILD REARING, AND THE LIFE CYCLE Understanding the Female Body Pregnancy Childbirth Birth Attendants and Midwives Contraception, Abortion, and Infanticide Illegitimacy and Abandonment The Ages of Man Stages of Life: The Family Stages of Life: Infancy Stages of Life: Adolescence Stages of Life: Adulthood Stages of Life: Widowhood Stages of Life: Old Age Stages of Life: A Good Death Conclusion 3. WORKING WOMEN Living and Working in the Countryside: Serfs and Peasants Everyday Food Upper-Class Food and Feasts Cloth Production Town Work in the Middle Ages Creating and Transmitting Knowledge: Book Production Caregiving and Healing Conclusion 4. NOBLE WOMEN Marriages and Children Dowry, Dower, and Inheritance Royal Power and Regency Conduct of an Aristocratic Lady: Ideals Daily Life for Upper-Class Women Leisure Time Conclusion 5. RELIGION AND THE CHURCH Daily Religious Practice Finances and Endowments New and Reformed Religious Orders Lay Piety and Beguinage Mysticism Joan of Arc: Saint or Heretic? Conclusion 6. WOMEN ON THE OUTSKIRTS Crimes and Incarceration Sexual Transgressions Women and Religious Heresy Magic and Witchcraft Conclusion 7. WOMEN IN THEIR OWN WORDS Brunhilda (Sixth Century CE) Baudonivia (ca. 600 CE) Dhuoda (Ninth Century) Hrosvitha of Gandersheim (ca. 935–ca. 973) Wynflaed, Wulfwaru, and Wulfgyth (Tenth to Eleventh Centuries) Wallada bint al-Mustakfi (d. ca. 1091 CE) Constance of Angers (Late Eleventh to Early Twelfth Centuries) Trota of Salerno (Twelfth Century) Qasmuna bint Isma'il ibn Bagdalah (Twelfth Century) Héloïse of Argenteuil (ca. 1100–1164) Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) Herrad of Hohenburg (ca. 1130–1195) Clemence of Barking (Late Twelfth Century) The Trobairitz (Twelfth to Thirteenth Centuries) Marie de France (Fl. Twelfth Century) Marguerite Porete (d. 1310) Julian of Norwich (ca. 1343–ca. 1416) Christine de Pisan (1364–1430) Catherine Benincasa of Siena (1347–1380) Margery Kempe (1373–ca. 1439) Bartolomea Riccoboni (ca. 1369–1440) Helene Kottanner (ca. 1400–after 1470) The Paston Women (Fifteenth Century) Conclusion Primary Document A: Héloïse to Abelard, Letter 4, ca. 1132 Primary Document B: Catherine of Siena, Dialogue of the Seraphic Virgin, ca. 1370 Primary Document C: Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love, ca. 1410 Primary Document D: Margaret Paston, The Marriage of Margery Paston, 1469 Primary Document E: Margery Kempe, Excerpt from The Book of Margery Kempe, 1521 Glossary Bibliography Index

Reviews

A particularly useful tool for instructors of introductory courses. Recommended. * Choice *

Author Information

Belle S. Tuten, PhD, is Charles A. Dana Professor of History at Juniata College, USA.

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