Women During the Middle Ages

Category: Middle Ages
Last Updated: 19 Apr 2023
Pages: 4 Views: 634

Women during the middle Ages The middle ages were a big part of the world’s history. Every aspect of life was influenced. One important influence was on women. Medieval society was ruled by men and women had their “place’ depending on their social class (“Medieval Women”). Peasant women had the hard life; they were expected to cook and clean and help their husbands all at the same time (“Daily Life for Peasant Women in the Middle Ages”).

Peasant women would typically begin their days at 3 am during the summer and began to prepare breakfast and prepare for the daily meals, and then they would begin to weave and make clothes for the family (“Daily Life for Peasant Women in the Middle Ages”). Peasant women would work in the fields until dusk and then eat dinner after their families would (“Daily Life for Peasant Women in the Middle Ages”). She was also responsible for the children and basic nursing (“Daily Life for Peasant Women in the Middle Ages”). The daily routing of noblewomen followed her husband’s, or lord’s (“Daily Life of a Noblewoman in the Middle Ages”).

She would begin with mass at dawn and then be dressed in her dress of the day (“Daily Life of a Noblewoman in the Middle Ages”). Leisure time was spent on embroidery and dance (“Daily Life of a Noblewoman in the Middle Ages”). Education for noblewomen consisted on practical rather than academic like manners, etiquette, how to dance and ride, and archery (“Noble Women in Middle Ages”). Noble women typically had no choice in the marriage process and were usually a game of politics (“Noble Women in Middle Ages”). Life after marriage consisted of creating large families (“Noble Women in Middle Ages”).

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Joan of Arc was born to a small, poor family at Dom Remy at Champagne (“St. Joan of Arc”) during the 100 years’ war (“Joan of Arc’s Life”). Ever since she was little she was always in the life of God and was tender to the poor (“St. Joan of Arc”). When she was thirteen voices came to her, which she called her counsel, and identified them at St. Michael, St. Margaret, and St. Catherine, and she was very hesitant to tell anyone about these voices (“St. Joan of Arc”). She said the voices told her to lead the siege of Orleans and bring Dauphin to his coronation (“Joan of Arc’s Life”).

Joan set out with her army and was able to capture and take over four towns and destroy half of the English Army (“Joan of Arc’s Life”). These events led up to the coronation of Charles VII (“Joan of Arc’s Life”). After an unsuccessful attack against English-held Paris, her army disbanded when she was injured (“Joan of Arc’s Life”). Later she went on another campaign, in which she predicted she would be captured in Compiegne because she was breaking the treaty (“Joan of Arc’s Life”). Her troops were forced to retreat and she was convinced to surrender to Lionel of Wandomme, and then was put on trial by the English (“Joan of Arc’s Life”).

She was tried by the English for witchcraft and heresy and was condemned to death by a French clergy (“Joan of Arc- Trial, Death, and Sainthood”). The Pope in 1456 found Joan to be innocent of heresy and she was beatified by Pope Pius X in 1909 (“Joan of Arc- Trial, Death, and Sainthood”). And in 1920 she was named a Saint by Pope Benedict XV (“Joan of Arc- Trial, Death, and Sainthood”). Eleanor of Aquitaine married King Louis VII of France when she was fifteen (2 “Eleanor of Aquitaine”). She helped to lead thousands of voyages to the Second Crusade (“Eleanor of Aquitaine”).

The church was happy to hear of this but was unhappy when they heard that she and 300 of her ladies were going to heal the wounded (2 “Eleanor of Aquitaine”). Her efforts were bashed and her marriage ended up failing because her husband did not approve of her, and in spite she said that her marriage was never valid (2 “Eleanor of Aquitaine”). After returning to France her marriage to Louis was annulled and less than a year later she married the future King of England, Henry (2 “Eleanor of Aquitaine”). She bore five sons and three daughters to Henry, but their marriage wasn’t always perfect (2 “Eleanor of Aquitaine”).

She turned her three sons against their father and ran a rebellion against him, something that was unusual for a woman but was just in her eyes because of his infidelities and having to share the wealth with him (2 “Eleanor of Aquitaine”). But the rebellion was put down and Henry imprisoned her for fifteen years (2 “Eleanor of Aquitaine”). But her son, Richard, killed Henry and she was released for prison (“Eleanor of Aquitaine”). She was later seen as a very powerful politician because of the work she did to help her favorite son, Richard, to be released after he was captured (2 “Eleanor of Aquitaine”).

She was always traveling to keep her appearance up with the English subjects and to manage her army and estates (2 “Eleanor of Aquitaine”) and before she died she was able to get her children the thrones of every country in Europe (“Eleanor of Aquitaine”). Lady Godiva of Coventry, England was known for her long, beautiful hair and her vow to help the less fortunate (“The Lady Godiva Legend”). She was married to Lord Leofric, who didn’t care about the less fortunate people of his town, and set a heavy tax on his people (“The Lady Godiva Legend”).

Lady Godiva protested and he set a bet with her: to ride through the streets naked and then he would lift the tax (“The Lady Godiva Legend”). She was known as being a modest woman and no one thought she would do this, but didn’t think twice and woke up at dawn the next day and set out (“The Lady Godiva Legend”). Lady Godiva was a generous person and her townspeople were even better and closed their shutters while she took this ride so nobody could see her (“The Lady Godiva Legend”). When her ride was over he husband stuck to his word and lifted the tax on his people and her place in history would be set in stone (“The Lady Godiva Legend”).

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Women During the Middle Ages. (2017, Mar 20). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/women-during-the-middle-ages/

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