Outrageous Women Of The Middle Ages

Some were feisty and fiery. Others were cool and dangerous. All were incredibly courageous. Outrageous Women of The Middle Ages took on the challenge of their world--and didn't worry about ruffling a few feathers. Among the outrageous women you'll meet are: * Eleanor of Aquitaine--queen of France and later England, she led a group of women on the Second Crusade and created her own financial system * Lady Murasaki Shikibu--besides being a wife and mother, she learned the "forbidden" language of Chinese and wrote the world's first novel * Aud the Deep-Minded--a Viking wise woman and explorer who led her clan, grandchildren and all, on a risky voyage from Scotland to Iceland * Hildegarde of Bingen--the German nun who, late in life, became a composer, a botanist, and founded convents * Damia al-Kahina--a nomadic freedom fighter, skilled at peacemaking and war, who kept her North African homeland free

Astonishing true tales of the most amazing women in history They were bright and bold, outspoken and inspiring, daring and even dangerous. They were the incredible, courageous, and totally Outrageous Women of Ancient Times. These remarkable women rocked the world with their accomplishments--and their attitude! Their unusual stories will surprise and delight you. Among the outrageous women you'll meet are: Hatshepsut of Thebes--as pharaoh of Egypt, she reigned for over twenty years Locusta of Gaul--a professional poisoner to Roman nobility who made a fortune disposing of members of the royal family Deborah of Israel--the prophetess who led an army to victory in ancient Israel's first national war of liberation Hedea, Tryphosa, and Dionysia of Tralles--three sister athletes who won prizes in running, war chariot racing, and even lyre playing Pan Chao of China--scholar, author, and advisor to the Emperor's family, who championed equal education for women as well as men These independent spirits defied tradition and found their own paths to success. Now their stories come alive! Coming soon! Outrageous Women of the Middle Ages Ages 10 to 14

Equally in God's Image: Women in the Middle Ages is a volume of essays presenting the argument that with the coming of the universities women were excluded, in an apartheid of gender, from education and power. It discusses the resulting paradigm shift from Romanesque to Gothic, describing the images which women had of themselves and which the dominant male society had of them. We meet, in the pages of this book, medieval women in their roles as writers, pilgrims, wives, anchoresses and nuns, at court, on pilgrimage, in households and convents. The volume, as a «Distant Mirror» for ourselves today, seeks to present ways in which women then fulfilled the roles society expected of them and the ways in which they also subverted - through entering into textuality - the expectations of the dominating culture in order to quest identity and equality.

Women and Girls in the Middle Ages shows the roles and duties of women and girls of the nobility and peasantry, and the choices they had. Special emphasis on medieval dress and beauty, women of power, and women of other lands during the same period in history.

The encyclopedia covers the myriad, experiences, and contributions of women in de medieval world.

Reissued for the first time in decades, this ambitious work of Medieval scholarship by bestselling historians Frances and Joseph Gies traces the stories and fates of women in Medieval Europe over the course of a millennium. Medieval history is often written as a series of battles and territorial shifts. But the essential contributions of women during this period have been too often relegated to the dustbin of history. In Women in the Middle Ages, Frances and Joseph Gies reclaim this lost history, in a lively historical survey that charts the evolution of women’s roles throughout the period, and profiles eight individual women in depth. We learn of Hildegarde of Bingen, an abbess who was a noted composer and founded two monasteries; of Eleanor de Montfort, a 13th century Princess of Wales who was captured by Edward I and held as a political prisoner for three years; and women of somewhat more modest means, such as the spouse of an Italian merchant, and a peasant’s wife. Drawing upon their various stories, talented historians Frances and Joseph Gies—whose books were used by George R.R. Martin in his research for Game of Thrones—offer a kaleidoscopic view of the lives of women throughout this tumultuous period. “A wealth of solid information.” –New York Times

Examining specific literary, historical, and theological texts, the essays in Ambiguous realities illuminate a number of important issues about women in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance: the changes in attitude toward women, the role and status of women, the dichotomy between public and private spheres, the prescriptions for women's behavior and the image of the ideal woman, and the difference between the perceived and the actual audience of medieval and Renaissance writers.--Back cover.

Most people have heard of Lady Godiva and her horseback tax protest in the 11th century and Joan of Arc who in the 15th century fought against the English for the French gaining sainthood in 1920. Many know of Eleanor of Aquataine, 12th century Queen of France and England, and powerful manipulator and protector of kings. Some know of Hildegarde and Beatrice and Blanche and Clare. There are many famous women of the Middle Ages whose lives and leadership brought important changes to history. This encyclopedia contains several hundred entries on the culture, history and circumstances of women in the Middle Ages, from the years 500 to 1500 C.E. The geographical scope of this work is wide, with entries on women from England, France, Germany, Japan, and other nations around the world. There are entries on queens, empresses, and other women in positions of leadership as well as entries on topics such as work, marriage and family, households, employment, religion, and various other aspects of women's lives in the Middle Ages. Genealogies of queens and empresses accompany the text in an appendix.

Power in medieval society has traditionally been ascribed to figures of public authority--violent knights and conflicting sovereigns who altered the surface of civic life through the exercise of law and force. The wives and consorts of these powerful men have generally been viewed as decorative attendants, while common women were presumed to have had no power or consequence. Reassessing the conventional definition of power that has shaped such portrayals, Women and Power in the Middle Ages reveals the varied manifestations of female power in the medieval household and community--from the cultural power wielded by the wives of Venetian patriarchs to the economic power of English peasant women and the religious power of female saints. Among the specific topics addresses are Griselda's manipulation of silence as power in Chaucer's "The Clerk's Tale"; the extensive networks of influence devised by Lady Honor Lisle; and the role of medieval women book owners as arbiters of lay piety and ambassadors of culture. In every case, the essays seek to transcend simple polarities of public and private, male and female, in order to provide a more realistic analysis of the workings of power in feudal society.