Sainted Women of the Dark Ages

Sainted Women of the Dark Ages

Author: Jo Ann McNamara

Publisher: Duke University Press

Published: 1992-03-27

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 9780822312161

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Sainted Women of the Dark Ages makes available the lives of eighteen Frankish women of the sixth and seventh centuries, all of whom became saints. Written in Latin by contemporaries or near contemporaries, and most translated here for the first time, these biographies cover the period from the fall of the Roman Empire and the conversion of the invading Franks to the rise of Charlemagne's family. Three of these holy women were queens who turned to religion only after a period of intense worldly activity. Others were members of the Carolingian family, deeply implicated in the political ambitions of their male relatives. Some were partners in the great Irish missions to the pagan countryside and others worked for the physical salvation of the poor. From the peril and suffering of their lives they shaped themselves as paragons of power and achievement. Beloved by their sisters and communities for their spiritual gifts, they ultimately brought forth a new model of sanctity. These biographies are unusually authentic. At least two were written by women who knew their subjects, while others reflect the direct testimony of sisters within the cloister walls. Each biography is accompanied by an introduction and notes that clarify its historical context. This volume will be an excellent source for students and scholars of women's studies and early medieval social, religious, and political history.


Book Synopsis Sainted Women of the Dark Ages by : Jo Ann McNamara

Download or read book Sainted Women of the Dark Ages written by Jo Ann McNamara and published by Duke University Press. This book was released on 1992-03-27 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sainted Women of the Dark Ages makes available the lives of eighteen Frankish women of the sixth and seventh centuries, all of whom became saints. Written in Latin by contemporaries or near contemporaries, and most translated here for the first time, these biographies cover the period from the fall of the Roman Empire and the conversion of the invading Franks to the rise of Charlemagne's family. Three of these holy women were queens who turned to religion only after a period of intense worldly activity. Others were members of the Carolingian family, deeply implicated in the political ambitions of their male relatives. Some were partners in the great Irish missions to the pagan countryside and others worked for the physical salvation of the poor. From the peril and suffering of their lives they shaped themselves as paragons of power and achievement. Beloved by their sisters and communities for their spiritual gifts, they ultimately brought forth a new model of sanctity. These biographies are unusually authentic. At least two were written by women who knew their subjects, while others reflect the direct testimony of sisters within the cloister walls. Each biography is accompanied by an introduction and notes that clarify its historical context. This volume will be an excellent source for students and scholars of women's studies and early medieval social, religious, and political history.


Uppity Women of Medieval Times

Uppity Women of Medieval Times

Author: Vicki León

Publisher: Conari Press

Published: 1997-01-01

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 9781573240390

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This guide to the feisty women of medieval times profiles 200 of these fair and unfair damsels from around the world. There's English rose Hilda of Whitby, Viking leader Aud the Deep-Minded and Wu Zhao of China, who chose to concubine, connive, murder and machiavelli her way to a 50 year reign.


Book Synopsis Uppity Women of Medieval Times by : Vicki León

Download or read book Uppity Women of Medieval Times written by Vicki León and published by Conari Press. This book was released on 1997-01-01 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This guide to the feisty women of medieval times profiles 200 of these fair and unfair damsels from around the world. There's English rose Hilda of Whitby, Viking leader Aud the Deep-Minded and Wu Zhao of China, who chose to concubine, connive, murder and machiavelli her way to a 50 year reign.


Women of the Gilte Legende

Women of the Gilte Legende

Author: Jacobus (de Voragine)

Publisher: DS Brewer

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 166

ISBN-13: 9780859917711

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This book is a prose translation of a selection of women saints' lives from the Gilte Legende, the Middle English version of Jacobus de Voragine's Legenda Aurea, one of the most influential books to come from the middle ages. Because of its popularity and subject matter, the Gilte Legende was widely read and used as a model for everyday life, including the education of women through examples set by early Christian martyrs. Many of the women saints spoke passionately about their convictions and defended their faith and their bodies to the death. For over 400 years, these amazing vernacular stories have been inaccessible to a wider audience. This book divides the lives of female saints into: the "ryght hooly virgins", who vocally defend their bodies against Roman persecution; "holy mothers", who give up their traditional role to pursue a life of contemplation; the 'repentant sinners', who convert and voice their defiance against a society that demanded silence in women; and the "holy transvestites", who cast off their gender identity to find absolution and salvation. Their lives reach through the ages to speak to a modern audience, academic and non-academic, forcing a re-examination of women's roles in the medieval period. LARISSA TRACY is Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Georgetown University and George Mason University. Series editor JANE CHANCE


Book Synopsis Women of the Gilte Legende by : Jacobus (de Voragine)

Download or read book Women of the Gilte Legende written by Jacobus (de Voragine) and published by DS Brewer. This book was released on 2003 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a prose translation of a selection of women saints' lives from the Gilte Legende, the Middle English version of Jacobus de Voragine's Legenda Aurea, one of the most influential books to come from the middle ages. Because of its popularity and subject matter, the Gilte Legende was widely read and used as a model for everyday life, including the education of women through examples set by early Christian martyrs. Many of the women saints spoke passionately about their convictions and defended their faith and their bodies to the death. For over 400 years, these amazing vernacular stories have been inaccessible to a wider audience. This book divides the lives of female saints into: the "ryght hooly virgins", who vocally defend their bodies against Roman persecution; "holy mothers", who give up their traditional role to pursue a life of contemplation; the 'repentant sinners', who convert and voice their defiance against a society that demanded silence in women; and the "holy transvestites", who cast off their gender identity to find absolution and salvation. Their lives reach through the ages to speak to a modern audience, academic and non-academic, forcing a re-examination of women's roles in the medieval period. LARISSA TRACY is Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Georgetown University and George Mason University. Series editor JANE CHANCE


Gender and Christianity in Medieval Europe

Gender and Christianity in Medieval Europe

Author: Lisa M. Bitel

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Published: 2013-03-26

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 0812204492

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In Gender and Christianity in Medieval Europe, six historians explore how medieval people professed Christianity, how they performed gender, and how the two coincided. Many of the daily religious decisions people made were influenced by gender roles, the authors contend. Women's pious donations, for instance, were limited by laws of inheritance and marriage customs; male clerics' behavior depended upon their understanding of masculinity as much as on the demands of liturgy. The job of religious practitioner, whether as a nun, monk, priest, bishop, or some less formal participant, involved not only professing a set of religious ideals but also professing gender in both ideal and practical terms. The authors also argue that medieval Europeans chose how to be women or men (or some complex combination of the two), just as they decided whether and how to be religious. In this sense, religious institutions freed men and women from some of the gendered limits otherwise imposed by society. Whereas previous scholarship has tended to focus exclusively either on masculinity or on aristocratic women, the authors define their topic to study gender in a fuller and more richly nuanced fashion. Likewise, their essays strive for a generous definition of religious history, which has too often been a history of its most visible participants and dominant discourses. In stepping back from received assumptions about religion, gender, and history and by considering what the terms "woman," "man," and "religious" truly mean for historians, the book ultimately enhances our understanding of the gendered implications of every pious thought and ritual gesture of medieval Christians. Contributors: Dyan Elliott is John Evans Professor of History at Northwestern University. Ruth Mazo Karras is professor of history at the University of Minnesota, and the general editor of The Middle Ages Series for the University of Pennsyvlania Press. Jacqueline Murray is dean of arts and professor of history at the University of Guelph. Jane Tibbetts Schulenberg is professor of history at the University of Wisconsin—Madison.


Book Synopsis Gender and Christianity in Medieval Europe by : Lisa M. Bitel

Download or read book Gender and Christianity in Medieval Europe written by Lisa M. Bitel and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2013-03-26 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Gender and Christianity in Medieval Europe, six historians explore how medieval people professed Christianity, how they performed gender, and how the two coincided. Many of the daily religious decisions people made were influenced by gender roles, the authors contend. Women's pious donations, for instance, were limited by laws of inheritance and marriage customs; male clerics' behavior depended upon their understanding of masculinity as much as on the demands of liturgy. The job of religious practitioner, whether as a nun, monk, priest, bishop, or some less formal participant, involved not only professing a set of religious ideals but also professing gender in both ideal and practical terms. The authors also argue that medieval Europeans chose how to be women or men (or some complex combination of the two), just as they decided whether and how to be religious. In this sense, religious institutions freed men and women from some of the gendered limits otherwise imposed by society. Whereas previous scholarship has tended to focus exclusively either on masculinity or on aristocratic women, the authors define their topic to study gender in a fuller and more richly nuanced fashion. Likewise, their essays strive for a generous definition of religious history, which has too often been a history of its most visible participants and dominant discourses. In stepping back from received assumptions about religion, gender, and history and by considering what the terms "woman," "man," and "religious" truly mean for historians, the book ultimately enhances our understanding of the gendered implications of every pious thought and ritual gesture of medieval Christians. Contributors: Dyan Elliott is John Evans Professor of History at Northwestern University. Ruth Mazo Karras is professor of history at the University of Minnesota, and the general editor of The Middle Ages Series for the University of Pennsyvlania Press. Jacqueline Murray is dean of arts and professor of history at the University of Guelph. Jane Tibbetts Schulenberg is professor of history at the University of Wisconsin—Madison.


Women in the Middle Ages

Women in the Middle Ages

Author: Frances Gies

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Published: 1980

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 9780064640374

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Correcting the omissions of traditional history, this is "a reliable survey of the real and varied roles played by women in the medieval period. . . . Highly recommended."--"Choice" Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.


Book Synopsis Women in the Middle Ages by : Frances Gies

Download or read book Women in the Middle Ages written by Frances Gies and published by HarperCollins Publishers. This book was released on 1980 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Correcting the omissions of traditional history, this is "a reliable survey of the real and varied roles played by women in the medieval period. . . . Highly recommended."--"Choice" Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.


Dark Age Bodies

Dark Age Bodies

Author: Lynda L. Coon

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Published: 2011-06-06

Total Pages: 411

ISBN-13: 0812204913

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In Dark Age Bodies Lynda L. Coon reconstructs the gender ideology of monastic masculinity through an investigation of early medieval readings of the body. Focusing on the Carolingian era, Coon evaluates the ritual and liturgical performances of monastic bodies within the imaginative landscapes of same-sex ascetic communities in northern Europe. She demonstrates how the priestly body plays a significant role in shaping major aspects of Carolingian history, such as the revival of classicism, movements for clerical reform, and church-state relations. In the political realm, Carolingian churchmen consistently exploited monastic constructions of gender to assert the power of the monastery. Stressing the superior qualities of priestly virility, clerical elites forged a model of gender that sought to feminize lay male bodies through a variety of textual, ritual, and spatial means. Focusing on three central themes—the body, architecture, and ritual practice—the book draws from a variety of visual and textual materials, including poetry, grammar manuals, rhetorical treatises, biblical exegesis, monastic regulations, hagiographies, illuminated manuscripts, building plans, and cloister design. Interdisciplinary in scope, Dark Age Bodies brings together scholarship in architectural history and cultural anthropology with recent works in religion, classics, and gender to present a significant reconsideration of Carolingian culture.


Book Synopsis Dark Age Bodies by : Lynda L. Coon

Download or read book Dark Age Bodies written by Lynda L. Coon and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2011-06-06 with total page 411 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Dark Age Bodies Lynda L. Coon reconstructs the gender ideology of monastic masculinity through an investigation of early medieval readings of the body. Focusing on the Carolingian era, Coon evaluates the ritual and liturgical performances of monastic bodies within the imaginative landscapes of same-sex ascetic communities in northern Europe. She demonstrates how the priestly body plays a significant role in shaping major aspects of Carolingian history, such as the revival of classicism, movements for clerical reform, and church-state relations. In the political realm, Carolingian churchmen consistently exploited monastic constructions of gender to assert the power of the monastery. Stressing the superior qualities of priestly virility, clerical elites forged a model of gender that sought to feminize lay male bodies through a variety of textual, ritual, and spatial means. Focusing on three central themes—the body, architecture, and ritual practice—the book draws from a variety of visual and textual materials, including poetry, grammar manuals, rhetorical treatises, biblical exegesis, monastic regulations, hagiographies, illuminated manuscripts, building plans, and cloister design. Interdisciplinary in scope, Dark Age Bodies brings together scholarship in architectural history and cultural anthropology with recent works in religion, classics, and gender to present a significant reconsideration of Carolingian culture.


Where Heaven and Earth Meet: Essays on Medieval Europe in Honor of Daniel F. Callahan

Where Heaven and Earth Meet: Essays on Medieval Europe in Honor of Daniel F. Callahan

Author: Michael Frassetto

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2014-04-17

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 9004274162

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Where Heaven and Earth Meet is a Festschrift in honor of Daniel F. Callahan, Professor of History at the University of Delaware. It is an interdisciplinary collection that celebrates and advances research in his principal scholarly interests. One central focus is on the writings of Ademar of Chabannes and what they reveal about heresy, music, warfare, and the Peace of God in the early Middle Ages. Another is on Western religious history (ecclesiastical houses, hagiography, and papal writings), and the collection is rounded out by studies of early Islamic Jerusalem as well as Arabic numismatics. Contributing authors include Professor Callahan’s former classmates, graduate students, colleagues and admirers of his research. The collection will be of interest to researchers in art history, history, musicology, and religion. Contributors are: Bernard S. Bachrach, Daniel F. Callahan, Lawrence G. Duggan, Michael Frassetto, Matthew Gabriele, James Grier, John D. Hosler, Anna Trumbore Jones, Lawrence Nees, Richard R. Ring, Jane T. Schulenburg


Book Synopsis Where Heaven and Earth Meet: Essays on Medieval Europe in Honor of Daniel F. Callahan by : Michael Frassetto

Download or read book Where Heaven and Earth Meet: Essays on Medieval Europe in Honor of Daniel F. Callahan written by Michael Frassetto and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2014-04-17 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Where Heaven and Earth Meet is a Festschrift in honor of Daniel F. Callahan, Professor of History at the University of Delaware. It is an interdisciplinary collection that celebrates and advances research in his principal scholarly interests. One central focus is on the writings of Ademar of Chabannes and what they reveal about heresy, music, warfare, and the Peace of God in the early Middle Ages. Another is on Western religious history (ecclesiastical houses, hagiography, and papal writings), and the collection is rounded out by studies of early Islamic Jerusalem as well as Arabic numismatics. Contributing authors include Professor Callahan’s former classmates, graduate students, colleagues and admirers of his research. The collection will be of interest to researchers in art history, history, musicology, and religion. Contributors are: Bernard S. Bachrach, Daniel F. Callahan, Lawrence G. Duggan, Michael Frassetto, Matthew Gabriele, James Grier, John D. Hosler, Anna Trumbore Jones, Lawrence Nees, Richard R. Ring, Jane T. Schulenburg


Saintly Women

Saintly Women

Author: Nancy Nienhuis

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-12-12

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 1351183125

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This ground-breaking volume assesses the contemporary epidemic of intimate partner violence and explores how and why cultural and religious beliefs serve to excuse battering and to work against survivors’ attempts to find safety. Theological interpretations of sacred texts have been used for centuries to justify or minimize violence against women. The authors recover historical and especially medieval narratives whose protagonists endure violence that is framed by religious texts or arguments. The medieval theological themes that redeem battering in saints’ lives—suffering, obedience, ownership and power—continue today in most religious traditions. This insightful book emphasizes Christian history and theology, but the authors signal contributions from interfaith studies to efforts against partner violence. Examining medieval attitudes and themes sharpens the readers’ understanding of contemporary violence against women. Analyzing both historical and contemporary narratives from a religious perspective grounds the unique approach of Nienhuis and Kienzle, one that forges a new path in grappling with partner violence. Medieval and contemporary narratives alike demonstrate that women in abusive relationships feel the burden of religious beliefs that enjoin wives to endure suffering and to maintain stable marriages. Religious leaders have reminded women of wives’ responsibility for obedience to husbands, even in the face of abuse. In some narratives, however, women create safe places for themselves. Moreover, some exemplary communities call upon religious belief to support their opposition to violence. Such models of historical resistance reveal precedents for response through intervention or protection.


Book Synopsis Saintly Women by : Nancy Nienhuis

Download or read book Saintly Women written by Nancy Nienhuis and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-12-12 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This ground-breaking volume assesses the contemporary epidemic of intimate partner violence and explores how and why cultural and religious beliefs serve to excuse battering and to work against survivors’ attempts to find safety. Theological interpretations of sacred texts have been used for centuries to justify or minimize violence against women. The authors recover historical and especially medieval narratives whose protagonists endure violence that is framed by religious texts or arguments. The medieval theological themes that redeem battering in saints’ lives—suffering, obedience, ownership and power—continue today in most religious traditions. This insightful book emphasizes Christian history and theology, but the authors signal contributions from interfaith studies to efforts against partner violence. Examining medieval attitudes and themes sharpens the readers’ understanding of contemporary violence against women. Analyzing both historical and contemporary narratives from a religious perspective grounds the unique approach of Nienhuis and Kienzle, one that forges a new path in grappling with partner violence. Medieval and contemporary narratives alike demonstrate that women in abusive relationships feel the burden of religious beliefs that enjoin wives to endure suffering and to maintain stable marriages. Religious leaders have reminded women of wives’ responsibility for obedience to husbands, even in the face of abuse. In some narratives, however, women create safe places for themselves. Moreover, some exemplary communities call upon religious belief to support their opposition to violence. Such models of historical resistance reveal precedents for response through intervention or protection.


Dark Age Nunneries

Dark Age Nunneries

Author: Steven Vanderputten

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2018-05-15

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 1501715976

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Dark Age Nunneries -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Preface and Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- 1. Setting the Boundaries for Legitimate Experimentation -- 2. Holy Vessels, Brides of Christ: Ambiguous Ninth-Century Realities -- 3. Transitions, Continuities, and the Struggle for Monastic Lordship -- 4. Reforms, Semi-Reforms, and the Silencing of Women Religious in the Tenth Century -- 5. New Beginnings -- 6. Monastic Ambiguities in the New Millennium -- Conclusion -- Appendix A: The Leadership and Members of Female Religious Communities in Lotharingia, 816-1059 -- Appendix B: The Decrees on Women Religious from the Acts of the Synod of Chalon-sur-Saône, 813, and the Council of Mainz, 847 -- Appendix C: Jacques de Guise's Account of the Attempted Reform of Nivelles and Other Female Institutions in the Early Ninth Century -- Appendix D: The Compilation on the Roll of Maubeuge, c. Early Eleventh Century -- Appendix E: Letter by Abbess Thiathildis of Remiremont to Emperor Louis the Pious, c. 820s-840 -- Appendix F: John of Gorze's Encounter with Geisa, c. 920s-930s -- Appendix G: Extract on Women Religious from the Protocol of the Synod of Rome (1059) -- Appendix H: The Eviction of the Religious of Pfalzel as Recounted in the Gesta Treverorum, 1016 -- Appendix I: The Life of Ansoaldis, Abbess of Maubeuge (d. 1050) -- Appendix J: Letter by Pope Paschalis II to Abbess Ogiva of Messines (1107) -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Z


Book Synopsis Dark Age Nunneries by : Steven Vanderputten

Download or read book Dark Age Nunneries written by Steven Vanderputten and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2018-05-15 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dark Age Nunneries -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Preface and Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- 1. Setting the Boundaries for Legitimate Experimentation -- 2. Holy Vessels, Brides of Christ: Ambiguous Ninth-Century Realities -- 3. Transitions, Continuities, and the Struggle for Monastic Lordship -- 4. Reforms, Semi-Reforms, and the Silencing of Women Religious in the Tenth Century -- 5. New Beginnings -- 6. Monastic Ambiguities in the New Millennium -- Conclusion -- Appendix A: The Leadership and Members of Female Religious Communities in Lotharingia, 816-1059 -- Appendix B: The Decrees on Women Religious from the Acts of the Synod of Chalon-sur-Saône, 813, and the Council of Mainz, 847 -- Appendix C: Jacques de Guise's Account of the Attempted Reform of Nivelles and Other Female Institutions in the Early Ninth Century -- Appendix D: The Compilation on the Roll of Maubeuge, c. Early Eleventh Century -- Appendix E: Letter by Abbess Thiathildis of Remiremont to Emperor Louis the Pious, c. 820s-840 -- Appendix F: John of Gorze's Encounter with Geisa, c. 920s-930s -- Appendix G: Extract on Women Religious from the Protocol of the Synod of Rome (1059) -- Appendix H: The Eviction of the Religious of Pfalzel as Recounted in the Gesta Treverorum, 1016 -- Appendix I: The Life of Ansoaldis, Abbess of Maubeuge (d. 1050) -- Appendix J: Letter by Pope Paschalis II to Abbess Ogiva of Messines (1107) -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Z


Women in Medieval Society

Women in Medieval Society

Author: Susan Mosher Stuard

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Published: 2012-04-17

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 081220767X

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Early medieval women exercised public roles, rights, and responsibilities. Women contributed through their labor to the welfare of the community. Women played an important part in public affairs. They practiced birth control through abortion and infanticide. Women committed crimes and were indicted. They owned property and administered estates. The drive toward economic growth and expansion abroad rested on the capacity of women to staff and manage economic endeavors at home. In the later Middle Ages, the social position of women altered significantly, and the reasons why the role of women in society tended to become more restrictive are examined in these essays.


Book Synopsis Women in Medieval Society by : Susan Mosher Stuard

Download or read book Women in Medieval Society written by Susan Mosher Stuard and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2012-04-17 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Early medieval women exercised public roles, rights, and responsibilities. Women contributed through their labor to the welfare of the community. Women played an important part in public affairs. They practiced birth control through abortion and infanticide. Women committed crimes and were indicted. They owned property and administered estates. The drive toward economic growth and expansion abroad rested on the capacity of women to staff and manage economic endeavors at home. In the later Middle Ages, the social position of women altered significantly, and the reasons why the role of women in society tended to become more restrictive are examined in these essays.