Medieval Europe
Essays

Within our society there is a fascination with the special position of women in nearly every period of history. Perhaps this fascination with the past is rooted in our constant hope to prove social progress.

There is an old saying that familiarity breeds contempt. But does unfamiliarity breed similarity? In the Middle Ages, two civilizations at opposite ends of the globe evolved in a strangely similar manner.

Women have always been discriminated in various sectors of the society. This study has focused on the role of the ecclesiastical courts in perpetuating and passing discriminative rulings against women in medieval Europe. Although the religious were lenient in their rulings, this study has shown that they not any better. In areas like murder or adultery where a man and a woman 'cooperated', this study has clearly shown that women were punished harshly.

Women's Domesticity In Medieval Europe During The Late Middle Ages