Women's Education During The Renaissance

Women’s education in society has always been influenced by the cultural views of the time, which are shaped by the political and religious leaders in power. In early modern Europe, women’s education was both dissuaded and promoted by writers and priest alike through plays, personal letters, and sermons. Women’s education was also assessed through it’s usefulness,i.e. the sentiment of,“Educate your middle class girls in the middle class way”. The feeling towards women 's education changed with the times and tended to follow the societal trends that were commonplace throughout the Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment, but as early modern Europe advanced, the standards and support for women’s education seemed to wane. As time progressed, …show more content…
Humanist thinkers called on women’s education to be improved, and one of these thinkers Castiglione even lamented that women were not educated more, as they have always had the ability to lead and think just as well as the men that controlled them. Even further, Erasmus challenged the Church’s stance on the issue of women’s education by pointing out the inability for Church leaders to explain why women should not be learned beyond the need for them to be controlled. Virtuous women during the Renaissance were the educated and thoughtful women who used their education to raise their children to be intelligent …show more content…
The Thirty Years’ War wrecked havoc across Europe, and new forms of government changed the political landscape. In addition to these widespread political and military changes, a new elite culture formed in Europe with women gaining new roles that required different kinds of education. Although women were excluded from universities, they began to teach manners and engaged in painting and poetry. Women also hosted salons where the great minds of the day came to discuss their new ideas that were sprouting from the dual revolutions in science and philosophical thought. The Enlightenment brought women to center stage through their writings and engagement in social life, however this new found freedom for women did not rouse up solely positive feelings among the intellectuals of the