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Post by Lex on Feb 27, 2007 2:44:06 GMT -5
Very good, now I have to read t'other.
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Post by Lady Mage on Feb 27, 2007 7:52:23 GMT -5
O, I'm not done by any means yet. I have 23 parts total to this series. This is part 7. Enjoy!
Women in Medieval Society
Women in Medieval society were subject to legal advantages and legal disadvantages. In civil law, how they were treated depended upon their marital status. Married women could not hold contracts in their own name, they could not testify in court, and they could not borrow money in their own name. However, women past a certain age and still unmarried, could do all of these things in their own name. Women who practiced a different trade from their husbands were independent, and were called Femme sole- that is, a woman alone.
Within criminal law, marital status did not matter, but pregnant women had certain advantages- they could not be executed or tortured. No woman could be broken on the wheel. Whereas male homosexuality was considered a capital offense, female homosexuality was pardoned. On the other hand, there were many different ways that men could be killed for crime (hanging, burning, beheading, drawn and quartered), and all women, regardless of capital crime, were burned at the stake. This was because with hanging, beheading, and drawn and quartering, the body was let to hang on the walls for months. Government officials didn’t want men raping women’s bodies after the death. So, burning, the most cruel and punishing form of death was used because it left nothing but ashes.
More opportunities existed for women, greater than in post-medieval society. Women could achieve the highest levels of rulership as queens, and regents, still exercising all the power of the male king. This was because of dynastic society- with no male heirs, a female was allowed to inherit. Towns never had female consuls because of a more republican and democratic society. Until very recently, such societies have been more constrictive to women.
A woman could belong to a guild- in fact a survey done in Paris in 1300 showed that 86% of the guilds admitted women. This was not always on equal terms, but at least they were there. Craftswomen learned their craft the same way as craftsmen- through hard work as an apprentice and then as a journeywoman, finally a mistress in her own right.
Through religious life, women could be quite prestigious, but this was only in the monastic life. Women were not allowed to become ordained priests, or preach, although the German Mystic Hildegard of Bingen was so influential that she went on various speaking tours outside of her convent.
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Post by Lex on Feb 27, 2007 12:33:51 GMT -5
Hmmm... I really cringed here;
Necrophelia... ew!
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Post by Lady Mage on Feb 27, 2007 12:35:32 GMT -5
I know... seriously.
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Post by Lex on Mar 6, 2007 2:53:29 GMT -5
When are you posting up more?
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Post by Lady Mage on Mar 6, 2007 12:54:56 GMT -5
All right, allright, here's the next chapter.
Those who Prayed- The Monks
Monasticism emerged in the Egyptian desert in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries A.D. It emerged because martyrdom was no longer readily available, and religious fanatics needed another challenge. Benedictine monasteries under the rule of St. Benedict became dominant all throughout Europe. They were located deep within the countryside to help the monks forget all worldly concerns.
Monks were expected to do manual labor, to study (reading, writing, and reflection) and perform the liturgy every three hours. Matins was at midnight, then Lauds was at 3am, and so it went on until 9pm at compline. The abbot or abbess was there to rouse the monks or nuns from sleep, and the monks and nuns were expected to be completely obedient. The monks and nuns were completely forbidden to show their own will. Provisions were made to break their free will: they were forbidden to own any property, any care packages given to them might not get to them (the abbot or abbess might decide they wanted the care package or give it to someone else), and abbots and abbesses were authorized to search all the belongings of the monk or nun in question. Monks and nuns walked with their heads down, were expected to observe strict silence. If they did something wrong, in addition to making a full confession, they were forced to prostrate themselves fully on the floor, until the abbot or abbess would let them stand up (it might be days). Monks or nuns who went on a mission for the abbot or abbess were not allowed to tell their fellows about what they did, so as to not distract the other monks or nuns from a spiritual focus.
However, over time, the Benedictine monasteries relaxed as gifts of land and donations were given to the monastery as a whole. Monks and nuns decided that they weren’t going to be so austere anymore, and no longer were getting up at midnight for Matins. There were two attempts to restore austerity to monasticism (Cluniac and Cistercian movements), but these failed for the same reasons- their success killed them off.
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Post by Lex on Mar 6, 2007 13:12:11 GMT -5
Ooh, absence of martyrdom = monks!
Cool, i didn't know much of that... quite a good line for a story...
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