The Realities of Marriage
Marriage of the Medieval Age served a very different purpose to what it does today. Often an alliance of sorts, marriage between two families would often act as a peacemaker. The bride to-be thus became a puppet, played by both families to achieve their own ends. Further, honour was expected to be upheld by the bride at all times, regardless of who was chosen to be her husband and her feelings in the matter, and whether his social status surpassed hers, or not.
The wife was expected to inhabit the house constantly, as per the male ideal. However in reality, women were often found working the land, working in domestic services, working the husband’s shops etc. Childbearing and producing heirs was crucial to the sanctity of marriage, and thus had an extremely high emphasis in marriage: many women under 40 spent almost half their lives pregnant!
Widows - victims of the practice of marriage - often faced a steep decline in social status and even perhaps declined into poverty.While the virgin was valorised by Medieval Europe, the wife was the next best thing. (Natalie Sest)
Women were not granted a place in the hierarchy of Medieval Europe in the Eleventh century. Society could not conceive the idea of “the feminine condition” outside of family or marriage. Women were completely defined by their gender and seen by society as a bearer of children. For example, it was acceptable for a woman to participate in household labour, however labour outside the household was condemned. One of the first occupations available to a female was prostitution, reinforcing their role as an object of reproduction.
Pictured below is a picture of the woman giving birth, the father waiting beside. The artwork
is showcasing the role of a medieval woman as mother and wife. There is also a
link with the virgin Mary as the light from god is seen shining down from
above, showing that religion favours this stereotypical ideal of a woman in
the Middle Ages. (Olivia Paterson)
 |
| Birthing in the Middle Ages |
MEDIEVAL MEN AND WOMEN
The Virgin Mary – chaste, sinless and the mother
of Jesus – was depicted by religious authorities as the ideal for medieval
women. However, this idea often conflicted with the reality that one of the
most important duties for women within the family (perhaps the most important
duty) was to bear children.
 |
| Enthroned Virgin and Child http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1999.208 |
Jean
de Boulogne was only 12 when she married the 49-year-old Duke of Berry. Her
life therefore serves as an illustration of Klapisch-Zuber’s point that during
the late Middle Ages, the marriage age for females became progressively lower,
in contrast to that of males. (Anna Southwell)
 |
| The Annunciation |
 |
| Jeanne de Boulogne |
'Be
fruitful and multiply' God's words to Adam and Eve led many clergy men and
religious scholars to the understanding that marriage was solely for the
purpose of procreation and the 'natural companionship' for the two genders.
Physical requirements of marriage for pleasure not procreation were considered
a venial sin. (Stephanie Buckland)
Question for Blog Discussion:
How were Medieval Women
perceived? How did the stories of women in the Bible influence these
perceptions?
Throughout the Medieval period women were perceived as being inferior to men. They were used by their family's to forge alliances, and once married their duty primarily consisted of child bearing and running the household. Marriage was central to the status of women, women who remained unmarried had few options to socially advance, and in most cases widows swiftly lost their relevance in society.
ReplyDeleteThe examples of Eve and Mary reinforced the Medieval perception of women. Eve confirmed the notion of women being inferior to men by being tricked by the serpent (representing the devil) in the Garden of Eden, thereby dooming the world and all things in it to an existence of suffering. Mary fulfilled the Medieval ideal of women firstly by being a virgin, which was perceived as being vital to a woman's purity and thus her potential as a wife, and secondly by being a mother, as child bearing was seen as being central to the role of women in society.
In these ways it is clear that the Bible greatly affected the perception of women in the Medieval period.
Women were seen as the domestic part of society, they were 'supposed' to stay in the home, have children (preferably male) and take care of her husband. This was despite the fact that many women of this time were out, taking part in the running of farms/shops etc. Women were seen as a way to strengthen, or create alliances and loyalties between powerful families, (although often not as influential as male children).
ReplyDeleteAs Michael stated above ^^^ Mary and Eve were both influential biblical figures with regard to society's perception of, and expectation of women in the Middle Ages.
Life for women in the Medieval era was a life under constant surveillance and control. From birth until marriage, they were under the control and watchful eye of their Father, and from marriage to death they were under the control of their husband (who was chosen by their family - they rarely even chose their own spouse). A woman was defined by her body and her daily life depended on a "relation to a man or group of men".
ReplyDeleteWomen were often times associated with peace. If two families were rivals, a marriage would often cool the fire. However, once the marriage began, it was up to the woman to keep the peace steady. If she cheated on her husband, the peace between the two families that the marriage bought was all but lost. Indeed, perhaps one of the most important roles of a woman in the Medieval era was that of a peacekeeper.
Women were expected to birth children after marriage. It was not uncommon for women to spend roughly half their married lives pregnant. This only adds to the perception of the woman being defined by her body - the woman bears the child, and that was what she was known for.
Although they were not slaves, a woman's life in Medieval times was not a free one. Indeed, in effect they were often bought from their family for a dowry, much like a slave would be bought for a sum of money. They were also under constant surveillance and control, and had little if any control over their own posessions.
As the others have pointed out, the average medieval woman served two
ReplyDeletemain social purposes. She acted as a token of peace and friendship by
marrying the man of her father or brother’s choice; and she upheld the
domestic peace of this man, managing his household and children. In
terms of how these roles were dictated by female religious icons, it
was physically impossible for her to fulfil the religious perception
of the perfect woman- of a mother who is also a virgin (Mary). Yet by
creating what seem today extreme rules relating to a woman’s ‘honour’
and conduct, and by valuing so highly women’s role as domestic mother,
society seems to have been heavily influenced by the vision of a
maternal and pure Virgin Mary.
On the other hand, it doesn’t seem to me that the image of Mary
Magdalene was one society was eager to recreate. Although her
reverence of Jesus (washing his feet in her tears etc.) could be
linked to society’s desire that the wife almost revere her husband,
forgiveness for women’s sins does not seem to have been forthcoming.
As neither married nor a virgin, the Mary Magdalene figure of medieval
society was surely not a desirable one.
In the Medieval Period women were perceived with great prejudges as the rise of towns and prosperity developed women were left in the dust unable to be a part of workers guilds, and never seen as a front to the public. Women were behind the scenes in the home. They were a domestic figure. Even in aristocratic households, girls would stay home to be educated and boys would be sent away to cathedral schools or to become a knight etc.
ReplyDeleteWithin the Bible, Mary the most influential woman was looked upon with great maternal power. However she was greatly devoted to God, and with the Immaculate Conception one can see that purity and piety truly is reward by God. If a woman stayed pure and religious she was respected within society and Mary was the model for that. Also the story of Adam and Eve is another reason to think women are lesser to men, they are created for the purpose to please a man and to keep him happy at the home, a companion. A model for a medieval marriage.
The perception of women during the Medieval Period is pretty much the foundation upon which the traditional role of women is based, i.e. women taking care of domestic duties. Essentially, it was up to Medieval women to cook, clean, attend to the children in terms of their well-being and education and ensure their living quarters were comfortable for when their husbands returned from work. However, Medieval women also took to producing goods such as cheese, bread, beer and fabrics. In the Bible, Eve reflects woman's purpose as child bearer, pro-creating for future generations. A figure like Mary represents typically the ideal woman; one who is mature, respected and unadulterated. On the other hand, a figure like Mary Magdalene was essentially everything a woman should not be; an adulterous spinster.
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS ACTUALLY FROM STEPHANIE BUCKLAND
ReplyDeleteEve and the Virgin Mary seem to influence the perception of women the
most in the middle ages. Zuber draws attention the the idea that women
were under natural authority of men, Eve having been 'made from' Adam
and that they are immidiately inferior to men. Women are also
perceived as vessels of temptation as it is through Eve's actions that
sexual desire and lust was born and it is their responsibility for the
'loss of Paradise'. This is relfected in how women were expected to
treat and be treated by their husbands and other men (fatehrs or
brothers), with unquestioning obidieance and adherence to their needs
whether it be domestic, childbearing or in order to diffuse disputes
through marriage.
The Virgin Mary on the other hand provides an optimal precedent for
women and provided a spirtual opposite for Eve. Retaining the purity
of virginity yet becoming the mother to the saviour of Christians,
Mary was considered the salvation of man in her own right. This
reverence may have lead to the definition of women by their sexual
status: virgin, wife or widow, and how virgins were valued above all
else. Nuns were therefore considered differently from the women of sin
in marriages, although still inhibited by their own restrictions.
Women in medieval times were viewed and treated in the Christian light. Christianity believed in the equality of both genders, while viewing women as physically and morally 'weaker' than their man counterpart. Their social statuses included either virgin, married or widow.
ReplyDeleteExamples in scriptures that supposedly supported these views of women include:
- Eve (women) was born from the already existing Adam (man) - Genesis 2:21-23
- St Paul talks about how women should be submissive to men while at church (as well as at home) - 1 Corinthians 14:34-35
Though women were viewed as physically and morally 'weaker', this did not mean that they were not treated with certain respect and gallantry. The most prominent women presented in scriptures and in the church was the virgin Mary, the mother of God. She was seen as the mother of the entire church, ie all the faithful. She is revealed in scriptures as 'the women' who will help her son (Jesus) defeat evil (Genesis 3:15) and the mother of all the faithful (Revelations 12:17). In this light, women were respected as either virgins or mothers.
Sorry for the lateness in this post, I tried to upload the content several times from my home computer during the Easter break but it would not upload. What I found to be the most important aspect of the readings above was how greatly women living in Medieval Europe were depicted as inferior to their male counterparts. This was due to their roles once married becoming that of child-bearer and cleaner of the house-hold. Before married, the status of women remained inferior, as they were owned by their father. The stories of women in the bible reinforced the image of the Medieval woman. The Virgin Mary exemplified a womans need to stay pure until marriage to ensure social acceptance. Eve also played a critical role as she is portrayed to be "made from" Adam and as such, is inferior.
ReplyDeleteGreat job today guys! Really learnt a lot! :)))))
ReplyDelete