women in the middle ages By Kelly Laity

FEUDALISM The Kings, Lords (Nobles) and the leaders of the Christian Churches were at the top of the medieval society. They controlled everyone and everything. They had peasants who vowed they would serve the king for life, just so they could be fed and have a place to sleep. Majority of women were peasants. They cooked food, neutered children, washed clothes… so on. The Kings and Lords granted the knights with their ‘knighthood’, which meant they had to serve that King or Lord for life and do whatever they were asked. The King Nobles Knights Archbishop Freemen Yeomen Servants Peasants / Serf Peasant / Serf Female

The King (who owns a big space of land) finds lords, who look after smaller spaces of land. The lords grant the knights with their ‘knighthood’ who have to fight for that lord and or king. The peasants do different jobs for the lords and trade their work for food and a house, or farm a section of land for the lord.

WOMEN AND THEIR JOBS Women in the middle ages were responsible for cooking, raising children, and keeping the house clean. Although some were lucky enough to be the daughter of a king, there weren’t many who didn’t have to cook, clean and slave for their husband that was normally around 15 years older than them! Women, or in this case young girls, were getting married around the ages of 12 to 16 depending where you lived and what family you were from. The women were expected to instantly obey not only their father, but also their brothers and any other male members of the family. if the women disobeyed the orders from the men, they got beaten or severally punished…

MEN WERE MUCH HIGHER UP IN SOCIETY THAN WOMEN The general attitude towards women in Medieval times, was that they were inferior to men. Women were mostly taught that they should be quiet and obedient to their fathers, brothers and husbands, though this did not prevent some women from becoming among the most respected Christian saints and scholars, or in some rare cases, from changing history (like Joan of Arc). Women had a lot of responsibility and were not at all inferior to men in terms of daily effort. Most worked and did not stay at home, despite some modern beliefs. Many toiled alongside their families in the fields, and some were employed in workshops or were trades-women. Women sometimes also had the responsibility of running large estates, due to the death of a husband (widows were permitted to hold land, and a woman with a lot of land was just as powerful and influential as a man with the same property). They settled local disputes and arranged estate finances. They even took equal responsibility in defending castles or manors from invaders!

UNMARRIED WOMEN Some unmarried women entered convents or nunneries where they lived a life similar to a monk's life. This gave them the chance to get an education or lead life as a Christian. Many nuns cared for the sick and also became important figures in the community, not to mention those who would eventually be recognized as saints.

SOME OF THE MANY JOBS THAT WOMEN TOOK ON Some of the jobs held by medieval women included shopkeepers, bakers, spinners, alewives (women who brewed the ales), farmers, and silk weavers. There were even some women writers. It was common for a woman to hold more than one job because they were paid much less than men, and in order to make an even income they took on extra work. Being a spinner was the most common job. Women spent much of their time spinning wool into coarse thread, then weaving it into cloth and making clothes. If they were married they usually also had to do the cooking, cleaning and raising the children. Women in the medieval times did just as much work as men, probably even more!

WHAT WOMEN WORE Young single women often wore their hair loose, but once married almost all medieval women wore a linen wimple (wrap-up) to cover the hair. This was a sign of modesty, and a clear sign to other men that they were already married. Women wore a nightie-like linen garment. However they did not wear knickers. They wore a long tunic (to their ankles) and a gown over it. Women held their dresses with a belt tied around their waists. Other items worn by medieval women included hair pins, prayer beads, leather purses, woolen knee stockings, and leather shoes. Dress codes were very strict in certain places, particularly during the time of the Spanish Inquisition. The women of Medieval Europe worked hard, as it was a hard world to live in.

CHILD BIRTH FOR WOMEN Women usually had about eight to ten children with only about three to five surviving, the others died at birth. Childbirth was very hard for women it the medieval times. Many of their children died before they were one, Women also got very sick and in some cases died whilst giving birth to their children. Women were under lots of pressure to have children, especially if they were married to a man that was very high up in society. He wanted to have children to pass his possessions down to.

CONCULSION All in all women in the medieval ages worked extremely hard and had a very hard life. Thanks for listening to my talk and I hope you enjoyed it. Kelly Laity