Medieval Gentlewoman

Life in a Gentry Household in the Later Middle Ages

By fiona Swabey

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About the Book

This richly detailed account provides an important addition to current work on women in late medieval England, taking as its starting point the household diary of Alice de Bryene, a Suffolk noblewoman of the late 14th and early 15th century. Like Christine de Pizan, de Bryene enjoyed greater status and influence as a widow and owner of several large estates than most married women of her time, allowing her a remarkable degree of social and financial independence. Moving outward from de Bryene's own life, this illuminating work provides a vivid picture of the medieval household , examining marriage, education, patronage, and the private and public roles of the medieval woman of privilege.

About the Author(s)

ffiona swabey received her MA in Women's History, Gender and Society from London University. She has trained as a Jungian analyst and is a writer and reviewer.