Women in Early Medieval Europe, 400–1100

by Lisa M. Bitel

• ISBN13: 9780521597739
• ISBN10: 0521597730
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-11-18
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This is a history of the early European middle ages through the eyes of women, combining the rich literature of women's history with original research in the context of mainstream history and traditional chronology. The book begins at the end of the Roman empire and ends with the start of the long eleventh century, when women and men set out to test the old frontiers of Europe. The book recreates the lives of ordinary women but also tells personal stories of individuals. Each chapter also questions an assumption of medieval historiography, and uses the few documents produced by women themselves, along with archaeological evidence, art, and the written records of medieval men, to tell of women, their experiences and ideas, and their relations with men. It covers the continent and its exotic edges, such as Iceland, Ireland, and Iberia; looking at women Christian and non-Christian alike.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	x
List of maps	xi
Acknowledgments	xii
Abbreviations	xiv
Introduction	1	(12)
Gender and landscapes	13	(33)
Invasions, migrations, and barbarian queens	46	(49)
The theory and practice of religion	95	(59)
Survival by kinship, marriage, and motherhood	154	(46)
The take-off: mobility and economic opportunity	200	(66)
Conclusion: Concerning famous women before and after 1100	266	(31)
Bibliography	297	(27)
Index	324