Medieval to Renaissance: The Life of a Woman

Medieval life followed the Feudal Structure; this structure was most beneficial to the noblemen. However, every class embraced this system in hopes of surviving. In the Feudal system communities were formed around a king, land grants were awarded to the most important nobles in exchange for soldiers. The peasants lived and worked on the king’s land in exchange for his protection, it was a win-win agreement for both. Middle ages were a predominantly male era and women were expected to know their place in society. But, what was a woman’s role in society? According to church, women are inferior to men. A woman’s role is to bear children and take care of the house; most importantly she must be submissive to her father or husband. 

Woman Milking a Cow

Most women were very poor and had to work extremely hard to support her husband and family. Art in the Middle Ages often depicted women as laborers, thus allowing historians to deduce that the lifestyle of women was dominated by work. According to Chadwick “Whether laboring in the service of God or for daily subsistence, the life of most medieval men and women were organized around work.” (p 43) Chadwick used the painting of a woman milking a cow in illustrating woman as laborers. Chadwick mentioned that work was the center of a man’s life as well, however, there isn’t many art, which portray men as laborers. Although women worked a lot, society decided which jobs they were allowed to do; women could not have chosen their ideal job. There were some jobs that both men and women were allowed to do. Jobs that required high educational skills were off limits to women because women weren’t allowed extensive education courses that would enable them to be eligible for those jobs. 

Women weren’t allowed to go to public schools, they were home schooled and then further educated in double monasteries. The catholic convent was an escape for women who were trying to evade marriage. According to Chadwick the women were educated in the convents, however they were unable to share their knowledge because men feared their power would be overridden. “They were prohibited from teaching by St. Paul’s caution that “a woman must be a learner, listening quietly and with due submission.” (p 45)

The Beatus Apocalypse of Gerona 975

In the monasteries it was believed that both monks and nuns worked together in producing manuscripts, however there were no known female authors. A turning point for women in the middle ages was The well know manuscript The Beatus Apocalypse was written in a monastery in Spain. The manuscript depicted the life of St. John. Emetrius and an unknown woman Ende wrote the manuscript. Another breakthrough for women artist in the middle ages is the creation of the Bayeux Tapestry. The Bayeux Tapestry is embroidery work that is made up of silk on linen.  The Bayeux Tapestry is made up of a sequence of artwork which re live the events of the Battle of Hastings. The origin of the Tapestry is unknown, however historians believe the hands of a woman constructed the tapestry. Their logic is that embroidery was known as a woman’s job

The Bayeux Tapestry, 1086

The transition from Middle Ages to renaissance was a little easier for artist women in society. Women of renaissance had the opportunity of being artist if they were born in the family of an artist. Painter guilds were popular in helping lower class artist in the renaissance years. Naturally women were excluded from guilds, except the lace and silk makers guilds. Many noble women indulged in the art of lace making. Nuns were also known for their proficiency in lace making and they taught many women in the convent the art. However, exclusion from the guild limited women’s ability to become artist. Women in general still had a difficult time surviving in society; they were expected to follow the rules that society set for them. Daughters were expected to remain pure until marriage; if they do not marry they were expected to remain virgins. If an unmarried woman lost her virginity she brought disgrace to all her male kin, this is why a woman was held responsible if she was raped. A woman who was raped was often punished because she humiliated her family, the level of punishment reflected on the family’s rank in society. Women were also required to master skills that would be beneficial to their marriage. Some of these skills include embroidering, weaving, and managing finances. Once married women now had new roles in society, wives were expected to manage the household, entertain their husbands and work. Poorer wives helped tend to animals, shops, and farms, artisan wives worked alongside their husbands, which allowed their entrance into guilds. Many women used their entrance into the guild as a gateway in the art world for women. Some important women artist from the renaissance period includes Lavina Fontana, Elisabetta Sirani, and Amilcare Anguissola. While life in the renaissance period hadn’t improved drastically for women, it opened a path that led to the freedom that women enjoy today. Most of the female artist was allowed to practice art, but all their earnings were given to their father or husband. Women were humbled because they were allowed to express themselves through art.

Works Cited

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. New York, N.Y.: Thames and Hudson,

1990. Print.

The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. New York: 

Penguin, 1998. Print.