The Role Of Women In The Early Middle Ages?

The Early Middle Ages are commonly referred to by historians as the “Dark Ages”, due to several factors, including the lack of written documents that would reveal important details about the lives of people during this time, as well as the state of political unrest and civil uprising that was at play, because of the recent collapse of the Roman Empire in Western Europe. This was a time during which nations and alliances were constantly forming and shifting, resulting in many wars and battles. (Averkorn, 2008) The nature of this time period tends to cloak the contributions of women, and their military and political successes are often overlooked, as this was an age where their roles were dictated by biblical texts that pushed them to assume the roles of submissive mothers and wives, not getting involved in politics or government. (Bovey, 2014) However, many women pushed past these restrictions to obtain high power positions, either directly as rulers or indirectly as wives of …show more content…
It is the women like Theodora and Mathilda who used their power to benefit others, Isabella who proved that women could also be vindictive and malevolent, and Eleanor and Aethelflaed who used their wit and intelligence to become effective leaders, who defined a new standard for women around the world, and inspiring future generations to push themselves to new limits, stand up for what they believe in and soar to new heights. These women fulfilled their required roles to an extent that critics and doubters would not have been able to fathom prior to their reign. The role that was asked of them was perhaps daunting at times, but they did not cower behind the fear of new territory, but instead rose to the