What was the role of the medieval lady?

Answer 1

A lady often had a demanding life. She had to be a mother, or at least that was the hope because lords got married to have children to whom they could pass their titles. She had to maintain a household. In the normal course of life, she would be likely to employ her time at embroidery, playing Musical Instruments, reading, planning meals, and teaching her children. It is a matter of record that many medieval ladies read extensively, and some were engaged in writing.

But she also was very likely to have duties very few women have today, because her husband might be called away, or become ill, or die, and in that case, she had to be able to do anything he would do. Without these abilities, she would be very likely to be marginalized by anyone who might want to take over.

So, she had to be able to keep the books, or at least inspect the work of a steward, in addition to a household. She might have to be able to settle disputes, and see laws were kept. In many cases, she had to be able to defend a castle and manage a garrison. She would have to deal with political problems, and might even have to represent herself or her husband to the king or clerical authorities. We have records of women who had to take over political power, in some cases, for entire kingdoms.

Quite a few medieval ladies became nuns, either as young women, or in advanced years.

For references, we could look to the lives of Ethelfleda, who pretty much ran the sub-kingdom of Mercia for many while it was under attack by Vikings, who she succeeded in kicking out of the country. Anna Comnena was a Byzantine princess who kept a historically important diary. Believe it or not, Lady Godiva is a good historical person to look at as a source. Hildegard of Binged is an example of a nun from a noble family, who corresponded with kings and emperors and wrote music, poetry, and commentary. Another good example of a medieval lady is Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was a duchess in her own right, promoted the code of chivalry, went on crusade at the head of a company of women, and married two powerful kings. Queen Margaret I of Denmark took over that country illegally, but with the support of the nobility who knew her as a trustworthy and powerful person; she defended it and used it as a basis for the creation of a powerful union of Scandanavian countries.

Answer 2

A lady often had a demanding life. She had to be a mother, or at least that was the hope because lords got married to have children to whom they could pass their titles. She had to maintain a household. In the normal course of life, she would be likely to employ her time at embroidery, playing Musical Instruments, reading, planning meals, and teaching her children. It is a matter of record that many medieval ladies read extensively, and some were engaged in writing.

But she also was very likely to have duties very few women have today, because her husband might be called away, or become ill, or die, and in that case, she had to be able to do anything he would do. Without these abilities, she would be very likely to be marginalized by anyone who might want to take over.

So, she had to be able to keep the books, or at least inspect the work of a steward, in addition to a household. She might have to be able to settle disputes, and see laws were kept. In many cases, she had to be able to defend a castle and manage a garrison. She would have to deal with political problems, and might even have to represent herself or her husband to the king or clerical authorities. We have records of women who had to take over political power, in some cases, for entire kingdoms.

Quite a few medieval ladies became nuns, either as young women, or in advanced years.

For references, we could look to the lives of Ethelfleda, who pretty much ran the sub-kingdom of Mercia for many while it was under attack by Vikings, who she succeeded in kicking out of the country. Anna Comnena was a Byzantine princess who kept a historically important diary. Believe it or not, Lady Godiva is a good historical person to look at as a source. Hildegard of Binged is an example of a nun from a noble family, who corresponded with kings and emperors and wrote music, poetry, and commentary. Another good example of a medieval lady is Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was a duchess in her own right, promoted the code of chivalry, went on crusade at the head of a company of women, and married two powerful kings. Queen Margaret I of Denmark took over that country illegally, but with the support of the nobility who knew her as a trustworthy and powerful person; she defended it and used it as a basis for the creation of a powerful union of Scandanavian countries.