The study of History seems to express an ever-improving continuum of human rights, the idea that as time goes on, and people’s ideas about equality evolve, individuals obtain more freedom. The Early Middle Ages proves an anomaly within this pattern as women during this period can be argued to have held more rights than those living under the reign of Queen Victoria. During the Middle Ages women held the positions of wife, mother, peasant and nun but also important roles such as an abbess. Throughout the middle ages the perception of “women” changed in a myriad of ways. This essay will examine how although in some aspects the women of the Middle Ages may have been seen as the property of men, either their fathers or their husbands, as reflected through the economic gains for males surrounding marriage, changes within the law put women on equal legal standing with men. Legal changes in the early Middle Ages allowed women to hold greater control over certain aspects within their lives such as divorce, the keeping of possessions after said divorce and the ability to acquire jobs outside of the traditional domestic responsibilities. All of which gave woman the power and access to increase their status in society.
During the course of the Early Middle Ages the status of woman within society can be argued to have changed in a myriad of ways. One aspect in which women acquired more freedom was in the practise of marriage. Although woman continued to be objects of value for which the prospective Bridegroom was expected to pay a price, consequently looking as though males purchased their brides through the required pledge of a substantial sum in return for her hand , Ælfred’s laws ensured that women held some power for it stated ‘No woman or maiden shall ever be forced to marry one whom she dislikes, nor be sold for money’. This passage may be seen to express woman’s increase in societal status as not only does it take into account her feelings but it also detracts the doctoral style power the males of society held over females through the retraction of their ability to marry women off ‘for money’. Highlighting that within the early Middle Ages woman’s status in society was slowly rising, as they were able to obtain more control over their own lives and act as individuals rather than an extension of their male counterparts. Thus highlighting that although the Status of women has not changed to the point of complete equality and independence as men still in practice bought women, the price itself throughout the period moved through a series of steps out of the hands of the family and males and into those of the woman.
Woman exercised similar influence when it came to divorce, further emphasising that the status of women within society had changed due to legal legislations as the new laws protected female wellbeing and rights to a higher degree. Within society secular laws mention divorce in relation to adultery however the church recognised other factors. The text known as Theodore’s Penitential states woman can renounce their husbands on the grounds of impotence as well as allowing remarriage if a spouse had been taken into captivity or enslaved. The ability for a wife to leave her husband is a glimpse into the increased status women held within medieval society however it was what they received in said divorce that showed more deeply this new standing. Divorce laws permitted the wife half of the household goods as well as her morgen-gifu that was received the morning after the wedding. This can be deduced as it was only female wills that mention such domestic appliances thus it is liable to assume such objects persuade women after a divorce. This emphasises a way in which the status of women had changed over the course of the Early Middle Ages as instead of weakening women, divorce laws ensured an equitable sharing of items, thus treating women with a higher level of respect and seeing them as more than oppressed and subservient objects to men. The fact such equality in relation to divorce was found within the views of the church also highlights the changing status of women. Throughout the Middle Ages the place of women in society was often dictated by biblical texts and as the Bible accuses Eve for being the catalyst for Adams exclusion from paradise women were looked on as responsible for original sin. This caused other religious texts such as the writings of Paul to emphasised men's authority over women, instructing them to remain silent and obedient as they were seen to hold less control and thus be of a lower status to men. Therefore the fact the church treated women with such kindness in terms of divorce exhibits how their status in the eyes of society within the Early Middle Ages had changed. The power these changes gave women allowed them to function as independent beings, showing how their status was no longer as quiet, obedient and submissive objects of males.
Woman’s status in terms of their treatment within society is also found within other laws passed by King Ælfred. These laws covered penalties owed for kidnapping, assault, death of those with child and rape. Although the financial consequences extracted from the offender went to the male within the woman’s life, such misconducts were treated with as much sincerity as those against males thus presenting a woman’s wellbeing and consequently their status within society to be on par with that of males . Ælfred’s laws also give protection to widows as after the Husband’s death they were not forced to give up financial independence or made to rely on a male kinsman for protection. These laws increased feminine independence as it provided protection from being forced into another marriage as well as being forced to become nuns in order to survive. These laws seem to recognise the increased status of woman within society as their independence was defended and protected and their interests were secured.
Stepping away from woman in relation to men, the status of females can also be seen to have changed when it comes to their jobs within society. Traditional female roles entailed child bearing and rearing as well as other domestic responsibilities, however with the establishment of Christian monasticism during the seventh and eighth centuries women could hold positions of great duty as abbesses of convents. In some instances, woman worked as abbesses in double monasteries thus giving them superiority over monks which in turn gives historians a big indication into how female status over the course of the Early Middle Ages in Britain had changed as now woman, in these cases, were not only treated as male equals but instead exceeded them in authority.
This being said it must be considered how societal changes may not have been equal for all women in society. Peasant women held less freedom and lived more obediently under the orders of men. Historians such as Chris Middleton highlight ‘A peasant woman’s life was, in fact, hemmed in by prohibition and restraint’ In contrast to what has been discussed previously in this essay, peasant woman had to succumb to the male of the household; if wedded, her husband, if single then her father. This puts forward the notion that although the status of women in terms of freedom within society did change within the Early Middle Ages, this change was not far reaching with those benefiting being mainly from richer families. The disparity between the financial standing of woman in relation to their change of status within society can be viewed through the privileges that Anglo-Saxon women enjoyed in terms of the possession of land. During the Middle Ages some woman held the right to own and sell land or give it away. All of which could be done without the consent of males for the land was listed in their names, however such rights were denied to peasants. Thus reflecting how although the status of Women changed over the course of the Early Middle Ages in Britain all did not enjoy these changes.
At the outset of this study it was stated that woman’s status within the early Middle Ages changed, however the question of in what ways did these changes come about was put forward. The reality outlined reveals that, although not applicable to all, it is accurate to suggest woman, depending on their original standing within society, saw a change in the Middle Ages through their new found ability to step into a higher level of freedom and harness greater control over their own lives as a result of a myriad of factors. Female rights in relation to marriage and divorce act as major examples as they reveal how women were no longer voiceless in a world of men and were in fact able to control the directions in which their lives were going to take. This is also evident within a woman’s ability to become an abbess of a convent, a position that allowed her to rule over monasteries of both men and women as well as put her in a position to hold significant lands and power. This illustrates how the status of Women changed for it provided them with a sense of purpose and responsibility, giving them roles outside that of purely being subservient to men. Figures such as Hilda of Whitby act as examples of the effect of such changes for she demonstrates how women could become influential on a monumental scale. Thus to conclude, although changes to the status of women within society did not apply to all females with some still forced to live under the strict regiments of a patriarchal society, it can be deduced that some groups of women within the Early Middle Ages in Britain saw their status within society change through their new found standing within the law, thus allowing them to break free from the oppressions of male domination and take change when it came to the decisions facing their futures for they knew they were protected from ruin which allowed them to make the decisions that were best for their well being such has who to marry and when to leave a marriage.