Stories of women in the Middle Ages / Maria Teresa Brolis ; forewords by Franco Cardini and Giles Constable ; translated by Joyce Myerson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brolis, Maria Teresa, 1959- author.

Standardized Title:

Storie di donne nel Medioevo. English

Language:

English

Italian

Subjects (All):

Women--Europe--Biography.

Women.

Europe.

Women--History--Middle Ages, 500-1500.

History.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xviii, 187 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

English edition.

Place of Publication:

Montreal ; Kingston ; London ; Chicago : McGill-Queen's University Press, [2018]

Language Note:

Translated from the Italian.

Summary:

"Between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries in Europe, not all women fit the stereotype of passive housewife and mother. Many led bold and dynamic lives. In this collection of historical portraits, Maria Teresa Brolis tells the fascinating tales of fashion icons, art clients, businesswomen, saints, healers, lovers, and pilgrims--both famous and little known--who challenge conventional understandings of the medieval female experience. Drawing on evidence from literary works and archival documents that include letters, chronicles, trials, testimonials, notary registers, contracts, and wills, Brolis pieces together an intricate overview of sixteen women's lives. With zest and compassion, she describes the mysterious visionary Hildegard of Bingen, the cultured Heloisa, the powerful Eleanor of Aquitaine, Saint Clare of Assisi, the rebel Joan of Arc, as well as lesser-known women such as Flora, the penitent moneylender, Bettina the healer, and Belfiore the pilgrim, among others. Following the trajectories and divergences of their lives from wealth to poverty, from conjugal love to the love of community, from the bedroom to life on the streets of Paris, London, Mainz, Rome and Bergamo, each portrait offers a riveting glimpse into the often complex and surprising world of the medieval woman. Combining the rigor of research with the thrill and empathy of narrative, Stories of Women in the Middle Ages is a provocative investigation into the biographies of sixteen incredible medieval heroines."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Hildegard, the genius

Raingarde, the mother

Heloise, the love-struck

Eleanor, the queen

Clare, the founder

Bridget, the pilgrim

Christine, the writer

Joan, the rebel

Flora and business

Agnesina and poverty

Ottebona and marriage

Grazia and the religious life

Gigliola and fashion

Bettina and her potions

Margherita and care-giving

Belfiore on the road.

Notes:

Edition statement from Foreword, page ix.

Includes bibliographical references.

Other Format:

Brolis, Maria Teresa, 1959- Storie di donne nel Medioevo. English. Stories of women in the Middle Ages.

ISBN:

0773554793

9780773554795

9780773554788

0773554785

OCLC:

1080521173