Women and Gender in Medieval Europe: An Encyclopedia

986 Pages·2006·7.6 MB·english

by  Margaret C. Schaus

W G
OMEN AND ENDER
M E
IN EDIEVAL UROPE
AN E N C Y C L O P E D I A

W G
OMEN AND ENDER
M E
IN EDIEVAL UROPE
A N E N C Y C L O P E D I A
Margaret Schaus
Editor
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CONTENTS
Introduction vii
Note on TheRoutledge Encyclopedias oftheMiddle Ages xi
Editorial Board xiii
Contributors xv
Alphabetical List ofEntries xxv
Thematic List ofEntries xxxiii
EntriesA toZ 1
Appendices
Appendix I:Calendar ofFemale Saints 865
Appendix II:Some Milestonesin MedievalWomen’sHistory 869
Appendix III:Encyclopedia Cited References 873
Appendix IV:WebResources forMedievalWomenand GenderStudies 875
Index 877
v

INTRODUCTION
WomenandGenderinMedievalEurope:AnEncyclopediareflectsthedramaticgrowththathastakenplaceinthe
studyofmedievalwomenandgendersincethe1970s.Beginningthenwithessaycollectionsandahandfulofpath-
breakingjournalarticles,currentresearchnowyieldsafullscholarlypaletterangingfrommonographs,editions
oftexts,andresearcharticlestoanthologiesandintroductions.Thisgrowthinscholarshiphasbeenmatchedby
an increase in student interest and course offerings. Because much of the research in medieval women’s and
genderstudiesispublishedinjournalsandspecializedvolumes,itistime-consumingtoaccess.WomenandGender
inMedievalEuropeservesasamuchneededguide,making innovativescholarship availabletoawideraudience
by explicatingtopics, providinginterpretation, andselecting authoritative sources that will leadreadersinto the
literature and research.
Scope
Women and Gender in Medieval Europe: An Encyclopedia addresses many areas of medieval women’s
activities, including female patronage of the arts and the church, female mysticism and devotional practices,
women’smedicineandunderstandingsofthefemalebody,andwomen’srolesinpoliticsanddiplomacy.Gender
issues are also of prime importance, and so masculinity is addressed in a variety of medieval contexts, ranging
from chivalric tournaments to medieval views of St. Joseph. Identification and analysis of medieval gender
roles provide an important context for understanding women’s roles: a discussion of the norms and expecta-
tions for men provides the factual information needed to situate and compare the norms and expectations for
women.
TheentriesinWomenandGenderinMedievalEuropereflectthedailyrealityofmedievalwomenfromallwalks
of life. Such entries move beyond descriptions of individual women to address topics such as ‘‘Asceticism,’’
‘‘Clothing,’’ ‘‘Procreation and Ideas of Conception,’’ and ‘‘Social Status,’’ providing a comprehensive under-
standingof medieval women’s livesand experiences.
The individuals profiled in this reference work were chosen either for their historical significance or because
theymightrepresentgroupsofpeople,suchasservantsorthedisabled.Inthefirstcategoryaresuchwell-known
figuresasGeoffreyChaucer,JoanofArc,ChristinedePizan,andMatildaofTuscany.Inthesecondandsmaller
grouparethemysticGertrudofOrtenberg,thesaintlyservantZita,andthenunartistCaterinaVigri.Thistwo-
tiered approach demonstrates the range of women’s activities, unlike past scholarship that sometimes took
account onlyof noblewomen.
WomenandGenderinMedievalEuropetakesEuropeasitsprimaryareafrom450–1500C.E.,roughlythefall
of the Roman Empire to the discovery of the Americas. Thus the entries dealing with Islamic topics treat
conditions in Iberia or in Europe generally. The entries on Byzantine subjects are an exception geographically,
but their inclusion is important both because of connections with Europe, like Theophano’s impact as a Holy
Roman empress, andforthecomparisons between thetwoareas in termsofsocial practices.
Thisreferenceworktakesaparticularinterestinhistoriography,intermsofthehistoryofthefield,documen-
tarysources,andmethodologicalapproaches.Medievalwomen’shistoryistreatedatlength.Entriescovermany
types of documents including household accounts, letters, and sister books (collective biographies of nuns).
Groups of records are also included for the church, rural areas, and cities. For methodological approaches the
volume gives detailed treatments to feminism and postmodernism as well as covering others approaches impor-
tant to the study of the Middle Ages such as performance theory and queer theory. The aim is to help users
develop a critical understanding ofthe historiography ofmedieval women andgender.
vii
INTRODUCTION
Authors
The authors of the entries are scholars and researchers in the field. In many cases the authors who contributed
entrieshavepublishedthedefinitivemonographonthesubjectinquestion,bringingtheirknowledgeandanalysis
to the discussion. Such command of the material allowed authors to offer discussions that put the issues into
perspective and help dispel mistaken assumptions, such as the idea that male practitioners did not give medical
caretowomen.
How to Use This Book
Organization
The563entriesinthisvolumearearrangedinaneasilyaccessibleAtoZformat,reflectedinthealphabeticallist
of entries. A thematic list of entries has also been provided to assist the reader in easily locating relevant
information.
Usersmayalso consult thethorough,analytical index.
Entry Features
Theentriesrangefrom250toover4500wordsinlength.Theyareaccompaniedbyselectivebibliographies,which
include both primary and secondary sources for further reading and research. Cross-references at the end of an
entry directthereader torelated entries inthevolume.
Overview Entries
Included are series of entries that together treat broad topics. Country overviews deal with women’s status in a
particular region: Burgundian Netherlands, Byzantium, Eastern Europe, England, Flanders, France, Northern,
Frankish Lands, Germanic Lands, Iberia, Ireland, Italy, Occitania, Russia, Scandinavia, Scotland, and Wales.
Theseentries are represented inthethematic listunder ‘‘Countries, Realms, and Regions.’’
Literature overviews deal with representations of women in the following literatures: German, Hebrew,
Iberian, Irish, Italian, Latin, Middle English, Occitan, Old English, Old French, and Old Norse. These entries
appearinthe thematiclistunder ‘‘Literature.’’
The‘‘Literature’’categoryalsoincludessurveysoffemalewritersinvariouslanguages(German,Italian,Latin
MiddleEnglish,OldFrench,andSpanish)underarticlesbeginning‘‘WomenAuthors:GermanTexts,’’aswellas
coverageofbroadliterarytopics,suchas‘‘Ballads,’’‘‘DevotionalLiterature,’’and‘‘Ovid:MedievalReceptionof.’’
For law, there is a series of articles that treat learned and regional legal traditions including ‘‘Roman Law,’’
‘‘BarbarianLawCodes’’andentriesfollowing‘‘Law’’forEnglish,French,German,Islamic,andJewishpractices
inregards towomen andgender.
Thematic Coverage
In addition to the categories outlined above, the entries in Women and Gender and Medieval Europe address the
following themes:
. Art, Architecture, and Archaeology: These entries include examinations of representations of women and
genderinart,artisticproductionbywomen,andarchitecturalstructuressuchasmonasteriesandthehome.
. DocumentarySources:Entriesinthiscategoryprovidecoverageofdocumentationbyandaboutwomenin
avariety ofsources includingownership marks onbooks,convent chronicles, and officialrecords.
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INTRODUCTION
. EconomyandSociety:Culturalandsocialtraditionsandnormsastheyaffectedwomen,suchascosmetics,
guilds, and inheritance, aretreated byentries falling inthis category.
. Education and Learning: These entries examine the types of education available to women as well as
female literacy.
. Family and Kinship: The medieval status of, and attitudes toward, family members, including spouses,
children,andtheelderly,isexploredintheseentries.Articlesinthiscategoryalsolookextensivelyatmedieval
marriage.
. Gender and Sexuality: These entries cover topics including abortion, concubinage, concepts of femininity
and masculinity, and virginity, thusprovidingbroad coverageof keygendercontexts.
. Historiography: Scholarly methodologies and critical theories are considered in relation to the study of
medieval women andgender.
. Medicine and Science: These entries explore medieval theory and practice, as well as topics in medieval
gynecology.
. Music and Dance: The roles medieval women played as participants in and audiences of music and dance
areexplored.
. Persons:Theseentriesincludebiographiesofqueens,noblewomen,authors,andsaints,aswellasnotable
medieval thinkerssuch asChristine de Pizanand TrotaofSalerno.
. Politics: The actions of queens, empresses, and other women in authority are discussed in these entries, as
aresuch political topicsas theCrusades and diplomacy.
. ReligionandTheology:Inadditiontobiographicalsketchesofsaintsandholywomen,theseentriescover
groups such as nuns, Beguines, and religious laywomen. They also analyze key religious topics, such as
asceticism, thecult ofMary, andwomen’s monasticism.
Appendices
Appendix I: Calendar of Female Saints lists the days for female saints observed each month. The calendar is
intended tosuggestthe varietyandnumber of holywomencelebrated during the liturgical year.
AppendixII:SomeMilestonesinMedievalWomen’sHistoryhighlightskeytranslationsandscholarlyworksin
thefieldof medieval women’s studies.
Appendix III: Encyclopedia Cited References is a list of those works cited most frequently in the individual
bibliographies found attheend ofeachentry.
Appendix IV: Web Resources for Medieval Women’s and Gender Studies provides readers with a number of
websitesthat present valuablescholarship on medieval women.
MargaretSchaus
Acknowledgments
Avolumelikethisgivesnewmeaningtotheterm‘‘groupeffort.’’Contributors,advisors,studentassistants,and
publishershaveallworkedunstintingly.Wearegratefultotheauthorsfortheirinterpretations,filledwithinsights
andfascinatingexamples.Fromthebeginningofthisprojectwebenefitedfromadviceandarticulateviewpoints
generously offered by colleagues, including Judith Bennett, Joan Ferrante, Jo Ann McNamara, Monica Green,
and Nancy Partner. Our subject advisors Lisa Bitel, Jane Burns, Amy Hollywood, and Pamela Sheingorn have
beeninvaluableindeterminingtopicstocover,persuadingpeopletowrite,andcontributingmajorentriesintheir
respectiveareas.StudentassistantsatHaverfordCollegehavesince2003maintaineddatabases,recordedqueries,
andgenerallykepttheprojectafloat.OurthanksgotoRobinDean,DavidFask,VeronicaFaust,SarahHendry,
and Elizabeth Piastra. At Routledge, Kristen Holt and Marie-Claire Antoine have brought their considerable
experiencetotheproject.Wethankalloftheparticipantswhohavehelpedtobuildthisworkwhereinmedieval
women’s livescan beknown.
MargaretSchaus
ThomasIzbicki
Susan Mosher Stuard
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