Product Review

Power in medieval society has traditionally been ascribed to figures of public authority - violent knights and conflicting sovereigns who altered the surface of civic life through the exercise of law and force. The wives and consorts of these powerful men have generally been viewed as decorative attendants, while common women were presumed to have had no power or consequence. Reassessing the conventional definition of power that has shaped such portrayals, "Women and Power in the Middle Ages" reveals the varied manifestations of female power in the medieval household and community - from the cultural power wielded by the wives of Venetian patriachs to the economic power of English peasant women and the religious power of female saints. In every case, the essays seek to transcend simple polarities of public and private, male and female, in order to provide a more realistic analysis of power relations in feudal society. Although the essays in "Women and Power in the Middle Ages" discuss various subjects, utilize diverse sources, and arrive at different conclusions, all seek to affirm the value of focusing on female empowerment rather than female subordination. Revealing the importance of gender as an analytic tool, these essays provide a new perspective from which to view the medieval world.