Women in the Days of the Cathedrals

by Régine Pernoud

Régine Pernoud Régine Pernoud has addressed herself to the study of many questions about the status of women in the Middle Ages and presents her surprising answers in this captivating work. Here one... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898706424
• ISBN13: 9780898706420
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Ignatius Press
• Length: 266 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

From darkness to light: of women, love and joy

"The mysterious force that elevated woman to the rank of queen, that knew love as an art, as a philosophy, as a religion even, was the impulse of the medieval soul, the very spirit of Romanesque and Christian Europe." Régine Pernoud quotes that passage by another writer in this seminal work about the lives and conditions of women from the sixth century to the fifteenth. Pernoud set herself the task of explaining that mysterious force in "Women in the days of the cathedrals": she succeeds wonderfully. Her book goes far in explaining how this feminine mystique operated through nine hundred years in lands exposed to Frankish culture and the rise of chivalry. In "Women in the days of the cathedrals," Pernoud's chapter, "Love, the invention of the twelfth century..." speaks for her book. Here, she shows how love and courtesy coexisted, intermingling, growing together; and her following chapter, Fontevrault, describes the origins of, and conduct in, an abbey in which women and men were governed by an abbess who was required to be a formerly married woman. With chapters on Homemakers, Femininity, Marriage and Economic and Political activities, Pernoud explores the lives of women for almost a millennium, finding that positive, culturally active elements abound. This is surely a book for Women's Studies courses. Pernoud had a long, distinguished career as a medieval scholar, with unrestricted access to the National Archives of France (a privilege extended to few), where she worked to develop the Museum of History of France. With two books about Joan of Arc to her credit, and others about Hildegard of Bingen and Blanche of Castile, Pernoud understood that the middle ages were far from unrelieved misery. For many, life was a joy. She held that view to the end. Her final title, "Those Terrible Middle Ages: Debunking the Myths," appeared in English only after her death. Robert Fripp, author, Power of a Woman. Memoirs of a turbulent life: Eleanor of Aquitaine

Medieval women as they really were.

In a recent TV programme I was surprised to hear Terry Jones, medieval historian and ex-Monty Python, describe women in the middle ages as merely 'chattels'. This excellent book shows how mistaken this view is. In Regine Pernoud's fascinating book you can read about the many and varied roles that women had in medieval times. here are powerful queens and duchesses, influential nuns, women saints, warriors, writers, doctors, tradeswomen and craftswomen, none of them at all chattel-like. This book shows how a woman like Joan of Arc could become leader of an army, there was nothing unusual in the Middle Ages about a woman taking on such a role. I had never thought before about the invention of the mill as the first great labour-saving device, but of course as Regine Pernoud points out, it freed women from having to spend their days in the back-breaking task of grinding corn by hand, something women still have to do in parts of the world. This is an absoultely enthralling book.

Illuminating!

I cannot but concur with the very positive reviews written before mine: this is indeed a wonderful and well written book that goes a long way towards "debunking" the frequent gross misconceptions of the so called "dark ages" and the role of women in it, and at so many levels!!

True Feminism existed in the Middle Ages, not Today!

I think all women, particularly Catholic women, should read this. Studying primary sources, Ms. Pernoud shows that during the feudal era in the Middle Ages, around 1100-1300 AD, women were intelligent, capable, and highly influential citizens, involved in all areas of life, including medical, professional, education, political and administration. Never again have women had such influential roles in their society. As the Renaissance began to grip Europe, and the University of Paris barring women and the resurgence of classical Roman law, the role of women completely diminished. This book was an eye-opener--I've always enjoyed studying the middle ages, but I thought the women saints from that era (like St. Clotilda) were only exceptions to the rule, not the norm. This book proves the opposite. And as a woman, I deeply appreciate the influential roles these women played during that time. I also can see that I have the gifts to influence my husband, family and society in a truly unique feminine way, something that is forgotten in this day, where equality in a feminist's eyes merely means becoming like a man.

Charing Cross and the beloved queen.....

I love this book. Regine Pernoud is my new favorite historian. Ms. Pernoud writes about the Middle Ages when men were men and women were--well if not in charge pretty darn close to being so. Ms. Pernoud's premise contradicts much of what I have read elsewhere, but she goes to the primary sources and produces much material to support her thesis. First of all, Pernoud says a number of women living in the Middle Ages were queens in their own right. She names these rulers--and some better known than others largely owing to the writing of male historians who seemed to have concentrated on queens married to illustrious men. Of course, there was Eleanor of Aquataine--the grandmother of Europe--who was the wife of both a French and an English king (in succession). She went on a Crusade with her French King. Later, she married Henry II and became the mother of Richard I and poor John of the Magna Carta fame. But Eleanor had some pretty well situated daughters also, and Pernoud tells the reader about them. Also, Eleanor's mother-in-law was the famous Matilda, who sparred with her usurper cousin Stephen for the English throne, which she finally secured for her son Henry II. Another, lesser known queen was a Matilda who along with Agnes of Poitou played a major role in the reforms of the church in the 11th Century by siding with the Pope against the Holy Roman Emperor. "Matilda Dei gratia si quid est" -- Matilda by the grace of God if she is anything. Hildegard von Bingen has become known in our age because of her beautiful music, and of course many other women were powerful Abbesses in their own right--or Saints like Joan of Arc. I found interesting Pernoud's assertion that the Celtic and Germanic tribes welcomed Christianity because it reinforced their notions of equality of the sexes and the hearth and home as the center of life. So, not only were women queens of countries and lords of fiefdoms, they were "queens" of households. Pernoud points out what any archeologist will tell you--family wealth is centered in the hearth and home--combs, copper pots, and gold crosses. And Charing Cross? That's named for Eleanor of Castile, granddaughter of Eleanor of Aquataine. When she died, her husband had a gold cross mounted everywhere they had lived. One site can be found at the Charing Cross station in London. Charing Cross is a corruption of "Chere reine" -- beloved queen.