Women at Work in Medieval Europe

by Cosman, Madeleine Pelner

• ISBN13: 9780816031252
• ISBN10: 0816031258
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-05-01
• Publisher: Facts on File

Summary

Women at Work in Medieval Europe is a spirited look at a slice of history rarely discussed. Highborn and low-, women workers abounded in medieval Europe -- running estates and abbeys, working the land in gardens and farms, brewing, baking, cloth-making, conducting international trade, healing, hunting, writing, mining, and even selling their own bodies. They apprenticed to trades, they were licensed by cities and states, and they identified themselves by the work they did, as surnames like "Webster" and "Brewster" attest to this day.

Organized by profession, Women at Work in Medieval Europe uses original documents and art to explore the many trades women performed at this time, the rewards they attained by their labor, and the dangers they faced. The women whose lives are sketched in this book will fascinate historians and inspire the working women of today.

Among the women profiled are:
-- The Countess de Dia and Castelloza: Troubadours
-- Margarite de Navarre: Writer
-- Marie de France: Poet
-- Dr. Barbara of Wissenkirchen: Battlefield trauma

Author Biography

Madeleine Pelner Cosman is an author, attorney, and lecturer whose areas of expertise include medical law and medieval life

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	iv
Introduction	v
Women Writers and Poets	1	(24)
Medical Women: Physicians, Surgeons, and Pharmacists	25	(26)
Lady Bosses: Rulers of Manors and Monasteries	51	(24)
Craftswomen: In Markets, Fields, and Mines	75	(28)
Women in Illicit Trades	103	(26)
Notes and References	129	(54)
Photo Credits	183	(2)
Index	185

Excerpts

Women at Work in Medieval Europe is a spirited look at a slice of history
rarely discussed. Medieval women worked in professions and crafts that we often think were
closed to them before the modern era. In fact, women workers abounded in Medieval
Europe—running estates and abbeys, cultivating the land in gardens and farms,
brewing, baking, cloth-making, conducting international trade, healing, hunting, writing,
mining, and even engaging in illicit activities. They apprenticed to trades, they were
licensed by cities and states, and they identified themselves by the work they did—as
surnames such as Brewster attest to this day.
Among the women profiled are:
The Countess de Dia and Castelozza: Troubadour
Margaret of Navarre: Writer
Dr. Barbara of Wissenkirchen: Battlefield trauma surgeon
Dr. Jacqueline Felicia of Paris: Physician
Margaret Paston: Aristocrat and leader
Hildegarde of Bingen: Poet, mystic, abbess, and physician
Heloise of Paraclete: Ecclesiastical ruler.
Organized by profession, Women at Work in Medieval Europe uses original
documents and art to explore the many trades women performed at this time, the rewards
they attained by their labor, and the dangers they faced. The lives of the women sketched
in this book—luminaries like Christine de Pizan, lesser-known but fascinating
personalities like Trotula of Salerno, and more humble professionals like the wool
merchant Rose of Burford and the alewife Alice de Caustone—will fascinate historians
and inspire working women of today.