Womane: Women in the Early Middle Ages
Publisher: Omniboek
A reconstruction of the lives of both common and noble women in the Middle Ages
There are far fewer sources about women in the Middle Ages than about men. Nevertheless, in Womane Luit van der Tuuk reveals that early medieval women were resilient, capable and resourceful: they were already able to exercise (political) power and to show knowledge and creativity outside the domestic sphere. In this book, Van der Tuuk reconstructs the social and cultural framework in which noble and common women lived their lives between the 5th and the 10th century. He examines the socio-cultural aspects of womanhood and the position of women in society, their identity and the characteristics attributed to them. On the basis of written sources and archaeological evidence, a picture emerges of powerful women despite the Church’s ever-expanding power and desire to curtail women’s freedom. Thus, Womane modifies the enduring image of the ever-subordinated Early Medieval woman.
