Book description
'Woman, who is equal to the moon in the flower of youth,
Is equal to a little old ape after the onset of old age'
This remarkable collection brings together a host of writings from
across different regions and cultures of the Middle Ages, from the
ninth to the fifteenth century. They are arranged to follow the life
stages of a Medieval woman living a secular existence, from infancy
and girlhood, through marriage and motherhood, to widowhood and old
age. Some women are famous or captured in exceptional circumstances,
many more are anonymous: an abandoned baby in Italy, or an epitaph for
the female leader of a Synagogue, speaking across the ages.
This selection contains an introduction discussing the Medieval
woman's status, separate introductions to each chapter, notes and a bibliography.
Elisabeth van Houts is a Fellow and lecturer in Medieval
History at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, with particular interests in
the Anglo-Norman period, Latin historiography and the role of women in
medieval society.
Patricia Skinner was Reader in Medieval History at the
University of Southampton. She has published extensively on the social
and gender history of medieval Italy, as well as editing books on
Anglo-Jewish medieval history and medieval historiography.
