Providing an indispensable resource for students and scholars studying the history of medieval women and gender, this book provides a comprehensive depiction of women’s lives in the 14th and 15th centuries.

The late medieval period in England was one rich with opportunities for women, who played fundamental roles in family businesses as well as in the peasant community and economy, and who wrote letters, created autobiographies, and documented their spiritual journeys. Their lives fit into a pattern of seasonal celebrations and rituals shaped, for the majority of women, by work, marriage, and motherhood. The text further considers status distinctions, then shifts to experiences that affected all women, such as the ritual year, disease, food and drink, sex or celibacy, and religion.

By providing an overview of the history of English women and gender in the 14th and 15th centuries, the book provides a background suitable for students as well as for academics beginning work in this field.

Provides readers with an understanding of late-medieval women’s daily lives, enabling a fuller appreciation of women’s experiences in the distant past

Examines women of all classes, rather than focusing exclusively on aristocratic ladies

Provides a full picture of women’s lives from birth to death, combining focus on such significant moments as marriage and childbirth with more common elements, such as work, food, and clothing

Includes 15 images that bring the text to life