Education and Occupation: An Analysis of Women’s Role in Late Medieval Society

ARTH 495: Capstone Research

Introduction To Research

At one time it was considered common knowledge to think that women during the middle ages had little to no education, and that their role in society was insignificant. Research in recent years has overturned this theory, and it is now more commonly accepted that women had involvement in similar ways to men during this time. The late middle ages produced the greatest amount of artifacts that still survive and act as evidence for research today, which is why this time frame (1250-1500) has been selected for gaining a better understanding of women’s role in medieval society. Women had numerous occupations in the middle ages, and while women only made about half of what men made in the workforce, “Late medieval and early modern women were involved in the market economy and their work was necessary for the economic survival of many families.” Through analyzing women in the late middle ages with research including an 1 iconographic analysis of 3 pieces created during this time, as well as an assessment of involvement that women had both in educational endeavors and through occupations they possessed, evidence will show the importance of women’s contributions to society at this time. A feminist lens will be used to evaluate the artwork selected and applied to further research.

Historical Context For Research

To examine women as an important presence in the late middle ages, one must understand where the thought of women as inferior stems from. The origins of this thought comes from the strong religious ties of the medieval world. Society during the late middle ages was a Christian one, which is where much of the bias against women originates. To this patriarchal religion, women are not at the forefront. Many people who view women as of less value to men even in society today cite Eve as the creator of original sin, and therefore apply this specific teaching to seeing women as inferior to men. This is cited in Christian religious text, as Genesis 3:16 states “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” Through examining biblical scripture, it becomes evident why misogyny is prevalent in the late middle ages and how it was applied to keep women out of the workforce and away from educational institutions. However, further research will show the rise and significance of women in the late middle ages and how they contributed to society alongside many oppressive beliefs that would keep them from having full equality to the lives of men.

Iconographic Evaluation of Images Chosen

The three images primarily used as a basis for this research on the importance of women during the late middle ages all show women within an occupation and exercising their knowledge. The first image created of the three was “Cistercian Nuns” from pages of an illuminated manuscript titled “La Sainte Abbaye” out of France and dated 1290 . This image shows a procession of nuns, a priest, and a deacon leading mass. This specific page shows two levels of the building and a rose window, signifying popular Gothic architecture during this period and assists in dating this piece to the late middle ages. The building also shows characters depicted wearing traditional religious dress, including robes on the men and hair coverings on the women, which is also accurate to the time. Multiple characters depicted have halos over their heads and are shown using the hieratic scale, signifying their importance among the other characters in the image. Most of the characters in this manuscript are holding books (most likely Bibles or hymnals) used for the church service. The women holding books show that they were well educated and literate. Many women solely went to monasteries to become educated, and later would take their vows for a life devoted to God . An education as a nun was thought of as “the best one available to girls in the medieval world.” This shows women learning as well as working in a career as a nun. The second image chronologically is taken from the Luttrell Psalter (1320) and shows women hunting rabbits . Hunting was a popular sport and job for men and women in the middle ages. It is clear in this image that these are women based on their dress. It is a simple illustration of a small hill and one woman on each side catching rabbits, presumably for food instead of sport in this case. This supports the theory that women hunted and not just men, as it is typically seen as a male-dominated trade. Women would commonly work alongside other men assisting with hunting, and many of these women would enjoy it themselves . The third image chosen is of Christine de Pizan (1413) and is shown instructing her son . She is wearing a long colorful dress as a noble woman would, and is behind a desk in her study. Her hair is also covered, as women during the middle ages were expected to cover their hair if they were not young women or prostitutes . Christine de Pizan has an open book in front of her, which clearly illustrates that she can read and write. This is significant because she was a female scholar who wrote to support her family, starting at a young age. She became extremely famous for her work, and even created commissioned pieces for various kings and queens during her lifetime . All three of these images alongside another with presented research explaining women’s level of education and the various occupations they worked create understanding of women’s various roles during the late middle ages.

Women and Education

Education for women during the late middle ages was readily available in various forms. Public education and private education through monasteries and within castles for the noble were the main ways women gained formal education. While it was more common for men to gain an education than women early in the middle ages, by the 13th century some public education for boys and girls existed. The difference in their experience with schooling relied on “quantity rather than quality.” Later in the middle ages, more young girls began to attend school, if they could afford to. Schools were created by various theologians and scholars. Peter Abelard was a major contributor to the widespread influence of education during the late middle ages. The Letters of Abelard and Heloise acts as an excellent primary source document revealing what education was like in the late middle ages for both men and women. In Historia Calamitatum, a public letter by Abelard, he gives multiple examples of education at this time. He begins this letter discussing his love for knowledge, explaining “The more rapid and easy my progress in my studies, the more eagerly I applied myself, until I was so carried away by my love of learning that I renounced the glory of a military life.” This quote is significant because it shows a stark difference from the beginning of the middle ages to the end. He mentions military life, which was important during the beginning of the middle ages and often coincided with the crusades around the year 1000. However, in the late middle ages education was more of a priority for many people than fighting in wars, and Abelard’s quote gives a glimpse into the progression of society that the middle ages as a whole created. Abelard also has many disputes with other scholars, and he explains some of the disagreements were so strong it led him to found his own school. People flock to this school over the years while the hunger for education among the general public continues to rise. Aside from his own accomplishments, he speaks of the accomplishments of his lover, Heloise. She is seen as a remarkable woman from a decent amount of wealth, and her uncle pays for her to get a quality education. She studies similar topics as Abelard, which increases his interest in her. He acknowledges her success from her studies, stating that “in the extent of her learning she stood supreme.” This acts as evidence that not only did women go to school and gain quality education compared to other women, but in the eyes of successful men their knowledge was comparable as well. The most popular form of education for women was attending a monastery. Education as a nun was the best and most immersive education a woman could have. In Ireland specifically there were “less than 7 percent of Irish saints” that were women, and “all had some involvement with literary education.” These women set the standard and would act as mentors to younger women in monastic orders. Women also contributed to education systems at the time through teaching. Most girls gained an education starting as young as 7 while in a female monastery, before getting married in their mid to late teens. The education girls gained in a monastery included a wide variety of topics such as “Latin reading and writing, religion, embroidery, weaving, painting, morals, manners, and music.” Education at these establishments also 16 included learning Greek, as well as the Liberal Arts. Women were not allowed to be physicians or surgeons during this time, however they were still taught aspects of these occupations in the case of invasions or war should men be gone or injured. The most educated and dedicated of a group of nuns would typically go on to become an abbess, and was seen as equal to men in the same level of social class. This also acts as an example that women could use their education to move up in society and gain wealth. While most education came from the monastic world, the second largest contributor to education for women in the middle ages was Castle Life. Most of the women educated in castles were either of noble descent, or their fathers knew someone of noble descent within a castle. Education would begin around age 7 as well, and the castle’s mistress had “assumed responsibility for educating each youngster either directly or indirectly by arranging for troubadours or chaplains to augment the woman’s pedagogical work.” The goal of castle education was to create charming, polite young ladies. Because of this women studied all aspects of chivalric ideals. A major difference in this form of education for women from monastic school teachings was that women educated within castle life learned various household skills in addition to a traditional education. Things such as “charm, pleasing deportment, grooming, and conversation” were emphasized as main parts of their scholastic experience. Similarly to education women would gain in a monastery, women within castle life would learn medicine and surgical techniques to take men’s place if necessary.

Women And Occupation

Women worked many different jobs during the middle ages that contributed to assisting their husbands (if they were married) to bring money to their families. They also worked jobs that they found enjoyable, and were true career women of their time. Wives and single girls alike worked in a wide variety of fields, including everything from farming, to needlework, to bakers. The three images examined in research are all three examples of different fields women worked in during the late middle ages. These three images show nuns in a monastery(1290), women working as trappers in the Luttrell Psalter (1320), and Christine De Pizan lecturing(1413). Women had the freedom to decide what area they wanted to work in and made “choices often constrained by individual circumstances and the larger economy” however their occupation largely depended on “which of those available to women were attractive and available.” Some options weren’t available at the time. For example, images during the middle ages suggest women did not work in large kitchens for work on the industrial level. While little documentation shows they did not work in this field often, “This limited evidence does not mean that women never served as chefs or in other capacities on the cooking staff of noble households but it does make it seem that these staff were predominantly male, perhaps indicative of that work in large institutional kitchens of medieval courts was backbreaking work in a hot, smoky environment.” This was a much more likely possibility than the thought that women weren’t allowed to work these kinds of jobs. While some instances did occur where women would be strongly advised against going into a certain career, it was more common that they found jobs where they deemed themselves more fit. This quote from Newman is applicable to multiple kinds of jobs and gives a better understanding of the jobs women wanted to work at this time. Being a nun was also a popular occupation, as women had opportunities to advance within monasteries. Most women came for an education, and stayed for the opportunity to follow God and apply themselves outside of domestic life. Women with money could afford an education at a university, however women who did not come from money but still had the desire to learn attended a monastery. Women could be leaders among these communities as abbesses, prioresses, scribes, and other occupations as seen in the image of Cistercian nuns (1290). After an initial introduction into monastic life, young girls become an oblate or a kind of trainee nun and a more experienced woman would have the job to show new young women the ways of the specific order they belonged to. Nuns would also work to take care of the sick or those injured in battle, and often stepped in for men to perform surgeries when a doctor was not available. A monastery provided these opportunities to work as well as protections that were easier to access than education at a university for women who did not come from money. Women were also known for hunting for leisure as well as for a job. As seen in the image from the Luttrell Psalter (1320) women hunted/trapped food individually, but also alongside their husbands. This occupation was popular among all economic classes of medieval women, but especially women of noble families. There is not an incredibly large amount of images still in existence of women hunting during this time, however “high status women were celebrated for their enthusiasm of the chase” including Anne de Beaujeu who was Noble due to the fact that her father was Louis XI and also was the main character in a famous French poem called “La Chasse” about the hunt. This occupation gave women the chance to catch their own food and to support their families while their husbands worked other jobs. The evidence that the occupation of hunting was popular for women adds to a more modern image of the independent working women during the late middle ages. While women were not able to form their own guilds in this time, they could be involved in a guild made for both sexes. These organizations were also called “town or craft organizations” and “sometimes helped women find work. Each community had its own guilds, and every town’s guild had its own regulations. But all craft guilds had two main purposes: to guard the interest of the members, and to protect the consuming public by maintaining the quality of their products - functions that were not regarded as mutually exclusive.” However, guilds had limits on their help for women, as some of them prevented women from reaching certain levels of achievement. Many male dominated fields used their guilds to keep women out of their line of work claiming that women were not skilled enough. Many guilds also asked for the same yearly dues from both men and women, however women on average during the middle ages would make half as much men in their occupations. There were pros and cons to guilds during this time, but these organizations did contribute to women’s role in late medieval society by assisting women in finding jobs where they fit best.

Conclusion

Education has always been needed to obtain most occupations. Whether this comes from traditional education through a university, a monastery, mentorship, or word of mouth, education was needed for women to succeed in the middle ages. Because many women were educated, they could go on to read and write, become an abbess, hunt for sport, or take up other occupations. These two aspects go hand in hand and without one or the other women would not have been able to be prevalent leaders between the years of 1250 and 1500. In conclusion, the research compliments the thesis that women were prevalent both within scholastic life and career life.

Bibliography

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