The education of the noble woman in the Middle Ages
The medieval image of women is presented with contrasting concepts that range from contempt to worship. Since the principles of the Middle Ages, the most predominant thought was the inferiority of women in front of the man, since his sex was considered weak, according to Eileen Power (1975), they were also considered that they were inferior beings, of less intelligence orEven less capable (Hipatia, 2019). These ideas were driven by clergy and castes with economic powers that saw women as an object of decorum, being subordinated to the interest of the earth. These classes will establish a legal framework for women, and will give a certain concept to marriage, since they will allow the woman next to the man. The concept of marriage and the legality given to the woman did not consider the woman as a complete individual, the woman was classified by her sex and therefore inferior to the male (Pérez, 2017).
The noble woman was the only one who could enjoy some great privileges, and the only one who would probably achieve greater recognition. But this does not mean that they were not under the control of a man, since they belonged to his father, his husband or his son (Hipatia, 2019).
- The Lady
They commonly led a fairly monotonous and boring life was subject to romantic and worship poems. During the Middle Ages the lady could enjoy relative freedom, many of them were landowners, and in the case of being alone, they were handled with great independence, exercising a decisive weight in the economy and in the society of the usually feudal period, taking advantage ofof rights equal to those of men (Corleto, 2006).
- Landowner woman
The woman who possessed land, had great power, although they were often "tied" to the feuds, which implied that their feelings were usually ignored, they had neither voice nor vote in the decision to marry, to marry,since their husbands were agreed by their parents and were mostly delivered or “alienated” along with their land. If a woman possessed land and widowed or was single, he exercised great social power and had an important autonomy (Corleto, 2006).
- Aristocracy woman
The women of the medieval aristocracy were also important in their role as mother and wife. The central function was performed at home, and especially during the absence of her husband, because, as a rule he was the person who the husband was most trusted. Frequently, when they moved for the war, the feudal lords left their wives as administrators of family possessions, which assumed that the lady was able to possess and exercise broad and sometimes complicated legal knowledge, since he had to defend the rightsLegal of the fief, he had to supervise the butler and other employees, be a skilled administrator of the family farm, meticulously planning the balance between income and expenses (Corleto, 2006).
In peace times, the lady also had to test a great organizational capacity to prevent them from being fieted in her fesses, in the same way for the closest ones and for all employees, which proposed to supply theManufacture or acquisition of large amounts of dresses and food in addition to the supervision of the property itself, the selection of workers, the care of animals and sowings, etc. (Corleto, 2006).
In a matter of education, it was divided according to social stratification, in this way, the courtyard of court, Celery, play chess, tell stories, sing, play instruments, among others. The most serious treaties of the Lady’s education, however, reiterate in deeper aspects than in creating skills that are inclined to form for the practice of "courtly love". The treaties focused on forming “good wives” (women were responsible for meals to be ready, entertain the guests, organized meetings, organize menus, in times of crisis, learn to drive a house, as well as embroider, part of the education of a woman also included learning to preserve fruits, the woman, unlike the man had to get to marriage, among other obligations and values) insist more on the relationship between the wife and her husband, religious formationof a devout woman, etc. The positions regarding the scholarship that a lady should acquire were variants according to the different authors, in general it was encouraged to learn to read, so that they could have access to the Holy Scriptures, however, the learning of writing was not always promoted,To prevent for example to write love letters. Many treaties, however, insist that it is the obligation of the ladies to know how to read and write. Usually the instruction of the women of the high bourgeoisie could be compared with that of the ladies of the aristocracy (Corleto, 2006).
In the issue of sexuality, women were instilled in a certain fear for it, especially those that belonged to the nobility, they were taught that the purpose of intimacy between a man and a woman was only to procreate, and he believed herselfthat feeling pleasure was a sin and typical of court women. (Melgoza, 2012)
In conclusion, the woman in the nobility was much more independent than peasant women, but this does not mean that she was not under the mandate of a man, who could be her father, her husband or her son. The noble woman played a very important role in the fief in the event that the husband is absent, so there was a different expectation about the knowledge that a lady should have which would be different from the education received by the nuns or thePeasant women, therefore, their education was different and as usual in feudalism is differentiated by social stratification. Noble women were educated mainly in values and who would prepare them to be "good wives" or "good mothers", and also learned skills to be able to handle the fief in the event that the husband is in the war. Noble women must have many organization skills and legal knowledge to control the fief while their spouse is absent.
Sources
- Laziness. (2017). The woman: her conception and education in the Middle Ages – Diario16. [Online] Diario16. Endorse at: https: // daily16.com/ la-mujer-concept-educion-la-use-media/ [accessted 12 app. 2017].
- Hipatia, l. (2019). The woman in the Middle Ages. [Online] Hipatia’s eyes. AVAILABLE AT: https: // Losojosdehypatia.com.is/culture/history/la-mujer-en-la-oce-media/[access seat 20 oct. 2019].
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