Description: Women at Work in Medieval Europe is a spirited look at a slice of history rarely discussed. Highborn and low-, women workers abounded in medieval Europe -- running estates and abbeys, working the land in gardens and farms, brewing, baking, cloth-making, conducting international trade, healing, hunting, writing, mining, and even selling their own bodies. They apprenticed to trades, they were licensed by cities and states, and they identified themselves by the work they did, as surnames like "Webster" and "Brewster" attest to this day.

Organized by profession, Women at Work in Medieval Europe uses original documents and art to explore the many trades women performed at this time, the rewards they attained by their labor, and the dangers they faced. The women whose lives are sketched in this book will fascinate historians and inspire the working women of today.

Among the women profiled are:
-- The Countess de Dia and Castelloza: Troubadours
-- Margarite de Navarre: Writer
-- Marie de France: Poet
-- Dr. Barbara of Wissenkirchen: Battlefield trauma surgeon
-- Dr. Jacqueline Felicia of Paris: Physician
-- Margaret Paston: Aristocrat and leader
-- Hildegard of Bingen: Poet, mystic, abbess, and physician
-- Heloise of Argenteuil: Ecclesiastical ruler.
-- Rose of Burford: Wool merchant.

Please Wait