How to Survive as a Woman in the Middle Ages

How did women live in the Middle Ages — in cities, villages, and high castles? How were they supposed to look, behave, and love? What did men want them to be like, and how were they really? Medieval historian Eleanor Janega tells the stories of women from that time. The book is in pocket format.

Medieval thinkers, almost always men, subscribed to concepts formed from a mixture of classical ancient philosophy and Christian theology. They considered the epitome of female attractiveness to be the mythical Helen of Troy with her pear-shaped figure, small breasts, and golden hair. However, in their contemporaries, who were overshadowed by the sin of Eve, they saw lustful sinners, insatiable and unrestrained. A decent woman was expected to be either a nun or the ideal embodiment of motherhood.

Eleanor Janega presents quite different images, based on the stories of outstanding medieval women — Eleanor of Aquitaine and Hildegard of Bingen, as well as other, less well-known facts hidden in documents and court cases. This allows us to understand how women lived in that era. Hardworking farmers, brewers, textile workers, artists, and craftsmen. They paved the way for new ideas about female nature, intelligence, and capabilities.