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What is the role of women in late medieval/renaissance
The status of medieval women
Female roles in medieval society
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Being married or single affected the life of a woman in medieval times. When married, a woman became attached to her husband, but still had very little existence in society. Married women became the mistress of their house and gained the position of the wife (Moore). As wives, women did all the chores their husbands didn’t have the time for, such as cooking, cleaning, caring for the children, milking the cows, tending to the fire, and making clothes (Moore). Whether a woman was married or single, she was able to own land as well as sell that land. A woman’s husband was not allowed to sell her property without he consent, that is if she owned any land. A woman could only own land if she had no brothers to inherit the land before her or she was part of a wealthier family (Gies …show more content…
In general, women had no legal existence and no responsibility so her husband was left responsible for any debts and misbehavior (Gies and Gies 30). However, without ithout a husband, whether they were widowed or single, women found many restrictions placed on them and this made it difficult to do certain tasks. Unmarried women would work as a wage laborer, which included jobs such as haymaking, thatching, reaping, or washing (Moore). They also might work as a live-in servant, either at richer peasants home or the manor house itself, taking care of the lord’s children, washing clothing, or any other job assigned by their master (Moore). If an unmarried woman couldn’t find any work within the manor, they would be to travel to a town if possible. However they would find this difficult, given that most women were tied to their manor and the land. Widowed women, wives who have lost their husbands, had to give their lord a heriot and also give the church a mortuary (Moore). A heriot was a large part for the woman’s household that was given to the manor’s lord after one’s husband
During the Medieval time period, a woman would generally be forced to depend upon a man for her livelihood. However, in the world of courtly love, some could say that this was the first idea of goddess worship. Where the man is unable to survive without his beloved. As a result of this, her love causes him to achieve noble deeds, and become obedient to her in hopes of winning her affection. In The Lais of Marie de France, specifically Chevrefoil and Yonec, the author does not follow all of the rules of courtly love, yet she does illustrate to the reader the relationship between the man and his woman. She describes the beauty, intelligence, and wisdom of her female characters, giving them power over the men who love them. While Marie de France often confines women to the oppressive realities of the Middle Ages, she allows her characters to rebel against society, and uses the courtly love relationship as a way of empowering women in her lais. In the twelfth century, the majority of marriages were arranged. Men were often the ones given the privilege of choosing a spouse. Many times women were forced to marry men that they barely knew, and did not love. Through allowing the women in her lais to escape from their husbands and be with men who they have power over, Marie de France elevates women up onto pedestals.
Some of women in this time period’s family roles are very similar to what is expected of them today. The most common jobs were “domestic work, including teaching young females their roles for later in life, cleaning the house, and preparing food” (¨DeVault¨). Men would often be working during the day. Women's jobs were very crucial because if all they did around the house. Not all kids were able to attend school so it was up to the mother. Though not every one was married at this time, “common arguments against married women working were that they were taking jobs away
Women during the medieval period had certain role with their husbands, depending on his social status. The wives were placed into a class according to their husband’s line of work or social status (Time Traveler’s 54). This social status may be favorable, but not all wives were able to make it into the elite social status. Once the woman was committed, and married to her husband, she was totally controlled by her husband. Even though the wife was able to maintain the same social status of the husband, she lost a lot of rights after she married. Women during the medieval period not only lost a lot of their rights, but also became somewhat of a slave to the husband in many ways.
It is apparent in ancient society that women were seen as lesser than men, that their value was based off of who they were married to or who their father was. There was no way for a woman to have her own power, they could not do anything alone. The series Game of Thrones is set to be in medieval times, though not in our universe. It very blatantly shows themes of the time period, which are still seen in society today to a point. Blatant misogyny is shown throughout the series as the stronger female leads have to deal with this prejudice as they grow.
In the 14th century women were not allowed to own property. There was no possible way for women to receive property under their name. It would have either gone to her husband or father. Women were not even allowed to inherit property. If a woman’s husband died, the property would go to their son, not her. Even if she has enough money to buy
Marriage was very different in the 1400s than it is today. In the 21st century, it is hard to comprehend what kind of marriage traditions they had in the 15th century. While many people toady marry for love, in the Renaissance Era, marriages were primarily arranged by the families. In addition, when a couple did marry the ceremonies and customs were also very different.
The Crucible shows that women had no say so in how their life and marriage went. Their husbands spoke for them. The only task women had to worry about was reproducing, praying, and understanding their place in the family. Farming was usually run by the farmer and his wife. The woman usually fed the chickens, collected the eggs, or did the milking. Being a midwife was also very important to the community. It was usually run by two women, who helped with childbirth. Spinning wool and flax into thread was a very important task due to the limitation of fabrics during this time. Children usually helped their mothers tend to the farm, or became servants in homes at a very young age. Working as a servant was done by young girls, until she and her prospective husband had saved enough money to start a business, and or get married.
Even though married women could not own property or anything of the sort, single women were able to own land, make a contract, initiate lawsuits, and pay taxes. Even with the privelages bestowed upon the...
Were the Witch-Hunts in Pre-modern Europe Misogynistic? The “YES” article by, Anne Llewellyn Barstow, “On Studying Witchcraft as Woman’s History” and the “NO” article by, Robin Briggs, “Women as Victims? Witches, Judges and the Community,” will be compared, and summarized.
The excitement and eagerness of forming a family with the person she loves is the exact day that every girl dreams of. However, in the mid 1500s through the early 1600s the men and women enjoyed that special day in a completely different way then we do now. Courtship and marriage were a bigger deal and played a bigger role in the life of both the groom and bride’s families. They were expected of certain things and if they didn’t meet the expectations many problems could come up. Their traditions were much like the ones we have today but the way they were arranged was very different. The most important factor to everyone in the era was to gain more than they had before.
If they did work, the jobs were considered to be of little importance. Their jobs were always considered secondary to men. Usually, a woman’s job was to take care of the house and please her husband. Women who tried to have a ‘higher’ job such as a nurse, was considered a witch. So women tended to work in the lower jobs or one a man didn’t want. Women during this era might have been a lady of the manor, nun, free townswoman, etc. The Lady of the Manor was a woman who ran manors, farms, and castles. She normally dealt with the management of the land, crops, animals, property, workers, and legal arguments. This was always considered a ‘woman’s job.’ A woman could also be a nun. A nun’s main job was to ‘work’ for God. Typically a woman’s job was to be a free townswoman, meaning they kept order of their townhouse and also assisted their husbands in business. The woman would help him in his trade or practice her own. It was rare for a woman to have any other jobs, especially one with a lot of
A huge obstacle that women only in the near past have been able to conquer is their status in society. Women today have the freedom to take up any profession they desire, attend any school they desire, and most importantly marry anyone they desire. In the 16th-18th centuries, the time of the Renaissance, rebirth, and discovery of grand new worlds, women possessed the status of children in many ways; women were considered minors dependent on their fathers until marriage when that dependency transferred to their husbands. They could not own land, they could not be educated, and they most importantly could not marry whom they chose. The poor could possibly marry for love, but the new wealthy merchant class and the nobility married for political reasons: to increase the fortunes of husbands, for women to enter nobility, or vise versa. This reasoning affected every facet of women’s lives. One of the most important women it affected was Queen Elizabeth I. However, it affected her in a less direct way, as she did not have a father arranging a marriage for her.
who could not marry. There were not many opportunities for single women in the labor
Many pamphlets and books were written during the reformation era which explained how to be a good wife or husband. At this time there was a widespread change in the way people viewed the roles of husbands and wives.
In “Unhappy Marriages” James Hall’s wife…“He being then (as he all his lifetime was) stingy, niggardly, and mean spirited, allowed her little or nothing to live on.” (Unhappy Marriages, 10) Men were considered perfect specimens, masters in not only dress, but in religion as well. While women on the other hand were supposed to obey, be modest, chaste and to not speak much. Mary Hobry’s story tells of a similar situation, of hopelessness and “finding herself in this hopeless condition, and under frequent temptations of putting some violent end to her misfortunes.” (Unhappy Marriages, 2) Yet, her neighbours see her “as a violent disorderly woman and her husband as a weak and harmless man.” (Unhappy Marriages, 1) Nonetheless, she committed petty treason by murdering her husband who is her superior. The law states that women are unable to claim benefit of clergy because she is a women and it is an unforgivable offence. Unlike George Whalley who could claim benefit of clergy when he describes how “she raved at me, and abused me, and I, in the violence of my passion, did this unhappy murder.” (Unhappy Marriages, 8) Women in England has very little social and political rights which did not allow them to be free from marriage to abusive husbands even if there was cruelty involved. They had to pleased adultery as well, unlike males who only had to plead