Margery Kempe and Women in Medieval England

Introduction

Whether through the" game "of comity or marriage, the wife of the Middle Ages remains an object. Investigator of original sin, the woman suspected of heresy wear, to carry the curse, poison. The female is considered impetuous, incapable of gratification and devouring. The Knights have only one remedy to overcome these corrupt and corrupting (Eve): marriage. Indeed, it totally disarms the woman by making mother . For her, one pregnancy after another, and this, with one in two chance of dying. ... This promotes polygamy. "

The guns of women

From the twelfth century iè me, the ideal woman should be slim, with slim waist, long legs, chest high and small (big breasts are banned: women who have excessive chest bandage it should). This figure then evolves into the shape of a curved S: head slightly tilted forward, chest cleared, the belly and hips thrown forward.

Marriage

The model of Christian marriage, based on a monogamous relationship indissoluble, is a medieval invention dating from the thirteenth century. This is a unique combination of theory, with consent of both people and no possibility of divorce. However, the theory was often different from reality. Thus, it is families (parents) that unite children, and, at the age of twelve years for women and fourteen men. Young couples marrying without parental consent at risk of being disinherited. Far side classes "lower" than on the class "high" parental choice dictates the bonds of matrimony.

One needs to distinguish between different social classes, marriage is a way to strengthen Aliances for the nobility, a means of securing and strengthening the capital for the bourgeoisie, and marriage in these environments is often / sometimes an arrangement between families. Among the people developing these worries and love marriage is more common.

Among the classes 'high', the marriage of girls is an instrument of alliance and implementation, so it is trading or worse, it is required by the kidnapping, forcing the family of the young woman to accept the union. Moreover, marriage is not so "unbreakable" in reality than in theory. Thus, it is common for men to have concubines nobility which sometimes give rise to what is called in the eleventh century bastards. If the wife is incapable of giving birth to an heir, these bastards can sometimes inherit their father. The wife in question, not sterile or give birth to girls may also be divorced by her husband, the latter wanting to ensure offspring. That's what made especially King Lothar II in 855 (Stanbury & Lomperis, 1993, pp. 168-85).

The body and motherhood

If not being able to have children is the future of his marriage in jeopardy, however, give birth in the Middle Ages, because of poor hygiene and lack of capacity of midwives is risky. It authorizes the caesarean than women died, so that many women die in childbirth. Moreover, as one can detect very early pregnancies, women who want an abortion are at risk of staying. The Middle Ages can be summed up by a wholesale ...