Arguably, without his wife Matilda’s financial backing, powerful family ties and queenly skills, William may never have achieved any of his lofty ambitions.
Articles on Medieval women
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Hawks offered women both real and symbolic means to express gender, power and status within a male-dominated world.
Over a third of GCSE, AS and A-level exam papers in 2023 made no mention of women at all.
As creators of educational, religious and charitable institutions, women of means found ways to circumvent the patriarchal power structures of medieval society.
Some women requested their own abduction to escape abusive husbands.
While the princess was often powerless, the snippets of evidence that we have about her present the life of a young woman with the resolve and tenacity to survive and thrive.
The show brings the experiences, stories and voices of women from the distant past to life.
The Distaff Gospels is a collection of advice around pregnancy, childbirth and health. It was shared between French women while spinning flax.
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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Heritage Partnerships Coordinator, University of Oxford
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Visiting Professor of Social Inequities and Injustice, Loughborough University
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Director of the Centre for History Heritage and Memory Studies; Associate Professor in History, Nottingham Trent University
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Associate Professor; Rosemary Woolf Fellow, Tutor in Old and Middle English, Somerville College, University of Oxford
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Casual Academic, School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences, University of Newcastle
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Teaching Fellow in Medieval Studies, University of Leeds
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Professor of Art History, Oklahoma State University
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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 English, University of Surrey
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PhD Candidate, history, Nottingham Trent University
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Profesora Titular de Universidad, Universitat de Barcelona
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Professor Emerita of Medieval History, University of Rhode Island
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Postdo, University of Exeter
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Lecturer in French, St Hilda's College Oxford, University of Oxford