One of the interesting quirks of history is how much negative attention is put to the Middle and High Middle Ages (as part of the agenda of minds that were hostile to the Church), in spite of all the important and interesting advancements during the time. One of them is the expanded rights of women as Europe transitioned from paganism into Christianity, and there is evidence of the development of women owning their own shops and businesses, however this trend seemed to be snuffed out by the time of the Renaissance for various reasons.
Did Christianity, in a sense, miss its opportunity for a women’s rights movement within the context of orthodoxy? The later women’s rights movement of the 19th century and into the 20th century isn’t at all entirely bad, but it is unquestionable that it has been mixed with movements such as abortion, divorce, and a soured image of motherhood in some circles. In other words, it was as much about ‘power’ as it was about ‘dignity’. How different do you suppose it could have been if feminism in the Middle Ages didn’t later experience a decline?
What do you think?
I think there was an orthodox development of progress in the rights of women from the 1100s forward. First, a literary genre was developed specifically for the defense and praise of women. (A. Blamires, The Case for Women in Medieval Culture, Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press. 1997. pp. 19-21) Marbodius of Rennes’ essay “On Good Women” is possibly the first surviving work in this genre and was published in about 1102 A.D. The next is Peter Abelard’s “On the Authority and Dignity of the Order of Nuns,” which is unparalleled in its praise of women. Next comes the Livre des Maneires by Etienne de Fougeres, compiled in the 1170s. This genre would continue to be added to in the 1200s and 1300s.
Second, in Biblical commentaries, there is a notable increase in the number of authors who defend the equality of male and female on the basis of their being created in the image of God. Authors such as Herve of Bourg-Dieu, Peter of Celle, Gilbert Poretta, and Rupert of Deutz can be cited in this regard. (B. Newman, Sister of Wisdom: St. Hildegard’s Theology of the Feminine, Berkely, CA: University of California Press, 1989. p. 91.) This also continued into the 1200s and 1300s.
Third, in conjunction with the increase of literacy and educational status of the rest of Europe due to the rise of the universities, there is also a large increase in original women writers during these years. Apart from Trotula of Salerno, Anna Komnene, and St. Hildegard of Bingen, all of whom were well-educated authors and teachers, there is a large number of female poets in this period, such as Marie de France. The Troubairitz are an example of this at a wider scale – this women’s artistic movement developed as a collection of female lyricists who were often court poets for the kingdoms that were then growing in strength throughout Europe.
Fourth, in women’s leadership, Matilda of Tuscany illustrates one of the more unique cases in the middle ages: she was a woman who engaged in successful military pursuits and was entrusted as the principal defender of the papacy during the investiture controversy.
Finally, I think a case could be made that the rediscovery of the Laws of Justinian helped women in Western countries as his laws began to be studied and argued for in the universities. His Novella 21 declared, “no difference shall be made between male and female…[and] women shall not be deprived…of the equality which they enjoy among us, but our laws shall apply equally to all.” Evidence that this was being implemented in the West after his laws were rediscovered during the Italian Renaissance include the 1231 Constitutions of Melfi, the 1316 Statutes of Cessari, and the 1392 Carta de Logu.
The latter two laws granted married women independent possession of property separate from their husbands, and ruled that any property acquired after marriage could only be disposed of by mutual consent. They also required that men and women both share equally in the inheritance of their parents. (John Day, “On the Status of Women in Medieval Sardinia.” In Kirshner & Wemple, Women in the Medieval World. Chapter 12. 1985. New York, NY: Basil Blackwell, Inc. p. 304-306)
The 1231 Constitutions of Melfi granted the women of Southern Italy “full restitution of legal status” and declared “[W]ith contracts, [women] can not only be present but also have the presence of judges and guardians and procurators…” (Constitutions of Melfi, Titles XLI & XLIV, as translated in Amt, E. Women’s Lives in Medieval Europe: A Sourcebook. Part II: Women and the Law, section 15, Laws of Sicily. 2013. London, England: Routledge Publishing. p. 45-48)
These laws were not repealed in the later period of the Italian Renaissance. Instead, what we find in the later Renaissance/Reformation period is an increase of Catholic authors wishing to grant increased rights to women, such as the right to education. Juan Luis Vives is probably the best example of this, but it also shows up in the writings of St. Thomas More and Richard Hyrde, and in the same period you find women such as Beatriz Galindo being granted teaching positions and/or degrees from Catholic universities. In 1566 the Catechism of the Council of Trent declared the equality of all people, specifically including women, as part of the Church’s counter-Reformation (Roman Catechism Part IV, Chapter 39, Section II), and in the 1600s you find faithful Catholics taking up the same doctrines in the New World (with Sister Juana Ines de la Cruz) as well as in Europe (with Bishop Fenelon).
I could go on, but suffice it to say that I don’t think the Catholic Church missed the opportunity for women’s improvement, but rather was a driving force behind an alternative tradition of women’s equality that has largely gone unnoticed by contemporary feminist literature.
