The Distaff Gospels is a collection of advice around pregnancy, childbirth and health. It was shared between French women while spinning flax.
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Articles on Medieval women
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European women’s rights expanded in early medieval cities, though they were still limited. Last wills and testaments were some of the few documents women could dictate themselves.
While the wider literature tells us that medieval women were silent and passive, their letters and embroideries tell a different story.
This illustrated health manual dating back to the 13th century provides a glimpse of daily life in aristocratic households during the Middle Ages.
The view of Valentine’s Day as a day for lovers can be traced back to two medieval poets who stood up for romance and the freedom to choose.
They might not really fly on broomsticks or cast spells, but the witches and wizards of books and films are based on real people.
The new adaptation of the ancient Arthurian legend is unlike anything you have seen before.
Christine de Pizan’s 15th-century feminist narrative has particular resonance today.
In medieval England using magic was a bit like drug use today: against the law and seen as immoral, but still widespread across society.
Margaret Atwood’s handmaid has become a symbol of the subjugation of women. Anchorites were the medieval equivalent: women who were literally bricked up to keep them chaste.
The young assassin and wannabe knight stand in the background but if their medieval influences are anything to go by, they could end up leading the final battle.
Top contributors
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Visiting Professor of Social Inequities and Injustice, Loughborough University
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Teaching Fellow in Medieval Studies, University of Leeds
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PHD Student in Classics, University of Newcastle
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Associate Professor; Rosemary Woolf Fellow, Tutor in Old and Middle English, Somerville College, University of Oxford
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Postdo, University of Exeter
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Professor of Medieval Literature and English Literature, Bangor University
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Professor of English, Texas A&M University
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Professor of Art History, Oklahoma State University
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Professor of Medieval History, University of Rhode Island
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Lecturer in French, St Hilda's College Oxford, University of Oxford
