Throughout medieval times, variables such as wealth, gender roles and the growing concern of witchcraft challenged the authority of the Church. Because each of these themes are unique to their circumstances and elicited different if not similar responses from both those involved and those observing, it is relevant to detect and understand why these different events took place, and what became of the people who drove these actions. In chapters four, five and six of Deane’s A History of Medieval Heresy and Inquisition, each of these themes respectively was discussed in detail. The first of the previously mentioned concepts that challenged the authority of the Church is wealth. This was problematic as a good Christian was thought to have few worldly possessions and pride, however once in power, the men of the church had an abundance of these.…
Christine de Pizan’s Book of City of Ladies is often regarded as a response to misogynistic writings of women in many literary works done by influential men, in which they portray women as “vile creatures.” Paula Rieder, while never mentioning any of Christine’s work, discusses medieval women and misogyny; At first, medieval times were glorious for woman in the eyes of many scholars, but as time passes, many scholars started to notice trend of misogyny. Rieder produces detailed accounts from different historians and scholars of the lifestyle of women during the middle ages and its relation to the misogynistic works. She recounts Ruth Mazo Karras’ statement in which clerics failing to include women on important topics that affect them and referring…
When analyzing the various views regarding the role of women in European society between 1400 and 1660, they all had conflicting opinions on whether or not women are capable of developing and sustaining authority over the public. Three groups of people that had conflicting thoughts on this topic included religious leaders, such as John Calvin and John Knox, educated women, such as Arcangela Tarabotti and Artemisia Gentileschi, and humanists, such as Laura Cereta and Baldassare Castiglione. Most religious leaders viewed women with an inferior perspective, most educated women viewed women with a superior perspective, and most humanists and those publicly successful viewed women with a potentially equal perspective. Religious leaders such as…
Gender roles and religious norms played a very significant part in the 17th century America in Salem Village, Massachusetts and the Salem Witch trials give a clear understanding of how that is so. The Salem Witch trials were when women were being disproportionately accused for practicing witchcraft and associating with the Devil. These women were also accused because they weren’t following the Puritan lifestyle and religion. Many of these women were put on trial and executed. Women in the 17th century were expected to stay at home and do household chores and raise their children.…
For example, in the 17th century, only twelve works were published by women. In literature were five works, one work was about a saints' lives and the rest of works were the mother's advice books, translation and prophecy. In our research we will talk about the role of women throughout…
Let Her Voice Be Heard: Patriarchal Control, and Traditional Gender Roles in “Christina of Markyate” and “Hildegard of Bingen” written by Anonymous Authors The Bible states, “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet” (Timothy 2:11-12). Such courageous acts including, voicing one’s opinion, sharing beliefs, and expressing knowledge are just a few examples of what women could not do during the medieval ages. Like any other female during the third and beginning of the twelfth century, Christina of Markyate, formally known as Theodora, and Hildegard of Bingen are considered inferior to the male sex. Women are expected to respect the wishes of their parents, oblige to marry and live a life according to stereotypical heterosexual norms.…
Ever since the first American colonies in 1607, society has long instructed women their place in a developing civilization. Despite the significant changes in America during the 15th century to early 16th century, women rarely deviated from their role in “true womanhood” . In general, women knew their place can never go beyond the boundary of domesticity or motherhood and venturing towards unconformity was frowned upon. However, in the late 16th century, as all of America was mobilized by patriotism and rebellion towards the English tyrant; even women were encouraged to participate in revolutionary activities.…
In Medieval Europe, women were an essential part of European society, especially during the Middle Ages. Although the Middle Ages were known to be a time where men and their accomplishments were the center of attention, women had several roles they carried out that contributed to Europe's growth. Many of these roles varied from being a peasant woman to being a Lady of the Manor, all depending on the women's social class. However, many women were mistreated and were given limited freedom during their lives. They were set high standards and were punished if these standards were not met.…
Christine De Pizan was a French Renaissance writer who by disobeying many traditional roles that were forced upon women and fighting for what she believed true wrote many inspiring works that helped the women during the Renaissance. She was born in Venice, Italy in the year of 1365 and lived during the French Renaissance Period. She is also one of the few women who was educated and able to write. She spent her lifetime of sixty-five years writing about religion, politics, morals, and what will be considered the beginnings of feminism you could say. But why did Christine choose to disobey the traditional roles of women?…
To have all those so called witches burned one can conclude that women were not as naïve and dumb as men of the time believed them to be. Although the social structure of seventeenth century allowed women limited opportunities for involvement in political affairs; the continued to work even if they could not keep the wages they…
Although the Reformation is often viewed as a religious movement, it also significantly affected the political and social spheres of Europe. Obviously, this statement is true. The Reformation was a time where a multitude of denominations of Christianity. This movement resulted into an expanded literary way and religious freedom granted by the government. At the time, the Church owned almost one third of Europe’s land, which already gives us information on who controlled the economy and political force.…
During the Middle Ages, women held limited positions of work. Their rights and their options were few. Women’s jobs were caring for the household, livestock, and also taking care of children. Most poor medieval families lived in small quarters so that they could keep the tidiness and not spend all their time cleaning. They needed to work on the farms or their job since survival for their family and the lords depended on them.…
In the Introduction to the text Women in reformation and counter-reformation Europe: Public and Private worlds, Author Sherrin Marshall explores how the ‘great religious changes of this period affected the lives of women.’ Though Marshall identifies that the leaders of religious change ‘were men, almost without exception’, she also acknowledges the huge impact that religious change had on the lives of women in Europe, particularly in creating new ‘confining and limiting norms’ for women to adhere to. This identifies that although they weren’t actively involved in the administrative and formal reforms, women were still impacted on by the Reformation, as they were required to adhere to strict gender norms. The gender norms were primarily used as a method of supporting familial goals, as women were expected to manage the household and create families. This assertion was promoted by Martin Luther, a prominent religious reformer, who in 1523 wrote an open letter stating ‘a woman should remain a woman, and bear children, for God has created her for that.’…
The change in the perspective of women reflected the reforms brought about by the Protestants and their success to allow more women to be better educated and for women to lead better lives. The increase in political power harnessed by princes and monarchs displays the Reformation’s effect on influencing leaders to convert to a Protestant denomination or for leaders, such as Henry VIII, to declare themselves supreme in the spiritual affairs of their territories in order to gain more political power. This, in turn, led to battles caused by the Reformation due to tensions between Catholics and Protestants in that particular area. The Reformation caused many social and political consequences, in both the first half of the sixteenth century and to this day…
“They had no formal voice in the selection of the minister and no voice at all during the service he conducted” (41). Women can enter into churches; however, they cannot speak or ask question. When more women attend to church, their informal influence. The Puritan attack on the church gained popular strength, also in East Anglia. “Women were considerably more likely than men to remain with their captors… (43).…