Medieval Women: Social Factors Flashcards
What social impact did women experience regarding relation to husband and father?
Societal pressures to appear as perfect wife and daughter as being caregiver and pious.
Historical example of a woman who was impacted by societal pressures.
Laura Cereta - medieval humanist writer = experienced societal pressures through demands of husband and father which impacted her free time to do what she was interested in e.g. reading books
What were aristocratic women’s role in society? Did they have a role?
Noble women in charge of households in some cases.
certain degree of being in charge of household estates
women at home looking after these affairs when husbands in cities e.g. London dealing with business/court affairs
Reveals = not easy for women in high ranks of society either
Which women medieval writers were becoming more prominent and what does this highlight?
Christine De Pizan: main works between 1400-1418
complains about women being depicted as inferior to men and uneducated.
tries to overcome this through writings
possible early example of feminist writings
regards education as important for women = fundamentals for bringing up children
How did the church courts relate to marriage and how did this relate to married women?
Church courts administered the jurisdiction of the church i.e. those cases that had to do with the salvation of the soul
Hence marriage, wills + testaments + debts (until circa 1400) - wills + testaments about how property dealt with
Describe representation of women in church courts. - mention Salic Law.
England + other countries under Salic Law women could not dispute in secular courts, instead went through church courts
women not represented in these courts - men in authority in criminal/judicial court = affects politics of public office
View of Saint Paul on women’s role in church.
St Paul - emphasises that women should be silent and subordinate in church and if have questions they can ask their husbands
How frequently were church courts used by women regarding marriage cases?
2/3 marriage cases brought by women
What were “marriage cases”?
cases brought to the church were mostly enforcement cases, dealing with enforcement of marriage, not “divorce cases”
How does the patriarchal society relate to church courts?
Patriarchy - institutionally enforced as well as deeply integrated in society
- men dominating this society and women expected to be subservient
