Women at Work in Medieval Europe

by Madeleine Pelner Cosman

Book Overview

High-born and low-born, women workers abounded in medieval Europe, running estates, brewing, baking, cloth-making and hunting, for example. Among the women profiled are Marguerite de Navarre,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• ISBN: 0965088731
• ISBN13: 9780965088732
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Facts on File
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.

Customer Reviews

a new look at medieval history

In this educating and entertaining book, Madeleine Pelner Cosman takes a new look at women in medieval European history. She points out that women's accomplishments have been overlooked and their status misinterpreted by historians. By taking a new look at the evidence, she is able to demonstrate that women were very active in the society and economy of medieval Europe. This book provides new insight into women's lives. Of particular interest is her explanation of the origins of family names and the evidence that some of these names must have been passed down matrilineally. The only real objection I have to this book is that the title is somewhat misleading. It promises to be about women in medieval Europe, but is, for the most part, about England. There is material about women from other European countries, but the bulk of the material refers to English women.