By Daniel Rizk Thesis Although European women made some

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Womens Rights In The Middle Ages

• By Daniel Rizk

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Thesis

• Although European women made some progress in
  politics and education during the middle ages,
  the most significant leap forward for women of
  this era was in their marital rights.

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Outline

• The oppression that women faced in earlier eras
  throughout Europe
• Womens progress in
• Politics
• Education
• Marriage
• The changes in womens rights that we see today
  that can be directly attributed to the Medieval
  era.

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Politics

• In the Middle Ages the general mind set of the
  people was that women were inferior to men.
• Although the church was the biggest contributor
  to this idea women were also oppressed
  politically.

• Laws were instituted that were sexually biased
  towards women in the beginning of the Middle
  Ages.
• Women had to have a guardian with them at all
  times.
• The guardian was always male and was either the
  husband or the father.

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Political Advances

• A few of the key events that helped the
  advancement of women in the political field are
• Wealthy widows were in control of their land and
  household once the husband died.
• A few women were able to hold positions of very
  high importance
• Countess Matilda- Reigned over Tuscany which was
  considered one of the most important feudal
  states during the 11th century in Europe.

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Advancements cont

• Women were given many more legal rights such as
• They were able to inheret and own property
• The Anglo-Saxon king in the 9th cetury finally
  started to take the daughters into consideration
  in the Anglo-Saxon wills
• He himself divided his land with not only his
  sons but also his daughters.

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Women in Politics

• In feudal castles when the king would die or
  absent the wife would have complete control of
  the throne.
• In some cases the wives would even be forced to
  attack neighboring castles or countries.
• When the kings were absent many of that castles
  enemies would attack thinking that the castle
  would be at its weakest because of the women
  defending it, which would force the women to
  protect the castle from siege.

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How Women Gained Even More Rights

• Women received the most prejudice in society
  because they were given very little freedom to
  make their own decisions and to do things for
  themselves.
• The middle ages did not start any different from
  other societies, but by the late middle ages so
  much had changed in favor of women throughout
  eastern and central Europe.
• The biggest step was that women were no longer
  required to be escorted by a male guardian at all
  times during the day.

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Education

• Womens education is the biggest reason why women
  were able to fight for a voice in politics.
• As more and more women in Europe during the 11th
  and 12th centuries became educated they were able
  fight for higher positions politically.

Picture 1
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Education (continued)

• Women were also able to participate in
  intellectual life as listeners, readers, and
  writers.
• Although the education only occurred with the
  wealthier families with private teachers, this
  was a big step in the right direction for womens
  rights.

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Marriage

• Throughout the middle ages there was a reduction
  of marriages because unmarried women had more
  rights than married women.
• Since all the women were looking to function as
  individuals as much as possible less and less
  women wanted to get married.
• The role of women in society increased in both
  quality and quantity during the middle ages. The
  women of the middle ages were finally able to buy
  and sell land.

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Women behind the Scenes

• In marriage however women were able to have great
  influence on the decisions made that would affect
  the family.
• The women of the middle ages were in charge of
• the household budget, and
• the servants of the house
• Also, depending on the occupation of the husband
  the wife would sometimes participate in the
  family business and act as the assistant to her
  husband.
• Women, along with all of their normal household
  chores, would also bring in a small income to the
  family by weaving cloth that could be sold in the
  market, or they could produce food to be sold in
  the market or traded.

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Conclusion

• Women had been considered inferior to men for
  centuries before the middle ages, but in Europe
  the women gained many more rights during the
  middle ages.
• Women, who had since been excluded from
  participating in political activity, were finally
  given a voice.
• Women gained freedom in society as well because
  they were allowed to do many more things without
  permission or supervision.
• The place where womens freedom had the biggest
  impact was in the marriage because up until the
  middle ages the men had complete control over
  their wives and he made all of the decisions for
  the family.
• The women of the middle ages were the first
  people to enjoy a small amount of the freedom
  that women can enjoy today.

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Bibliography

• Middle Ages. World History Ancient Medieval.
  2006. ABC-CLIO. 10 Feb. 2006 http//www.ancienthis
  tory.abc-clio.com
• Middle Ages. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2006.
  Encyclopedia Britannica Online School Edition. 10
  Feb. 2006.
• Klapisch-Zuber, Christiane. A History of Women.
  Cambridge The Belknap Press of Harvard
  University Press, 1992.
• Gies, Joseph. Life in a Medieval City. Harper
  Perennial, New York 1981.
• Gies, Joseph. Life in a Medieval Castle.
  Perenial, New York 1974.

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Picture Bibliography

• Picture 1- Women reading-http//www.umilta.net/bir
  gittabks1.jpg
• Picture 2- Women being educated
  http//history.missouristate.edu/jchuchiak/Educati
  on20of20Women.jpg