LONDON.- Narratives about the Middle Ages are dominated by men. Male authors recorded history and wrote great works of literature, male rulers commanded kingdoms and fought wars, male authorities controlled religion. In traditional histories, medieval women’s roles have often been side-lined and limited to a few stereotypes and generalisations. The exhibition counters this narrative by revealing women’s contributions right across medieval society, in public, private and spiritual life, taking visitors on a journey through women’s healthcare, households, work, creativity and political and religious involvement.
In a new, major exhibition, the British Library explores the history of medieval women and illustrates how their voices still resonate across the centuries and speak powerfully to our world today. The objects in the exhibition draw from the British Library’s rich collection of original manuscripts, documents and printed books with significant loans from UK and international lenders that provide an unprecedented insight into the lives of women from this period.
The exhibition explores women’s limitations and remarkable achievements, telling the stories of individual medieval women, from the forgotten to the famous. Medieval Women includes Hildegard of Bingen, visionary, prophet and author of theological, musical and medical works; Estellina Conat, the first recorded woman to print a book under her own name; Christine de Pizan, the first professional woman author in Europe; Joan of Arc, the visionary and military leader who led the French to triumph at the siege of Orléans; Trota of Salerno, the influential female physician; and Shajar al-Durr, the first woman sultan of Egypt and Syria, who defeated the crusader army of King Louis IX of France.
Highlight objects include:
• Never before displayed outside France, an original letter from Joan of Arc to the citizens of Riom in 1429, requesting that they provide her with military aid, which contains the earliest known example of Joan’s signature
• The Book of the Queen, by Christine de Pizan, the first professional woman author in Europe, compiled circa 1410-1414
• Cross of Sybilla of Flanders, a 12th-century ivory carving on loan from the Louvre in Paris. Sybilla acted as regent while her husband fought in the Crusades, then went on Crusade herself, separated from her husband and joined a convent in Bethany
• A birthing girdle from the early 15th century, inscribed with prayers and charms that promise a quick and painless delivery
• The book Beḥinat Olam Mantua, published between 1476 and 1480 by Estellina Conat, she was the first recorded woman to print a book in Hebrew and it was the first recorded book printed by a woman under her own name
• The Book of Margery Kempe, probably written around 1438, the only surviving copy of the earliest known autobiography in English, which chronicles her life as a female mystic
• The oldest surviving Valentine's Day letter in the English language, sent by Margery Brews in 1477
• The largest hoard of medieval gold coins ever discovered in Britain, probably representing the fundraising efforts of Margaret of Anjou, who led the Lancastrian side in the Wars of the Roses on behalf of her husband, King Henry VI of England.
In Private Lives visitors will explore the inner lives of medieval women as they provide healthcare, marry, raise families, run households, and in some cases, write letters to their loved ones. The importance of family life is being explored through texts like a Hebrew prayer book from 1469 which contains illustrations of women participating in Passover rituals; a birthing girdle from the early 15th century, inscribed with prayers and charms that promise a quick and painless delivery; and a copy of the Passion of St Margaret, the patron saint of childbirth, which has been smudged by devotional kissing.
This section also contains letters that give an insight into women’s intimate relationships, from the oldest surviving Valentine's Day letter in the English language, written by Margery Brews to her fiancé John Paston in February 1477, to the letters of Heloïse and Abelard, on loan from the Bodleian Library, which contain radical portrayals of gender and marriage.
Attempts by male authorities to control women’s sexual health are evidenced by John Mirfield’s Breviarium Bartholomei, a medical compendium which includes procedures for testing virginity, making a woman appear to be a virgin, and even a section on contraception, partly written in ciphers to limit access.
Public Lives features a host of women who shaped medieval society through their work in areas as varied as agriculture, textiles, sex work, finance, writing and printing and political engagement. Visitors will encounter figures including Shajar al-Durr, a female ruler of Egypt who defeated Louis IX of France in the Seventh Crusade, and Isabella of France, who together with her lover, Roger Mortimer, led a successful rebellion against her husband, King Edward II of England. Objects on display exemplify how women navigated change and wielded power, from the largest hoard of gold coins ever discovered in Britain, believed to have been fundraised by Margaret of Anjou to support the Lancastrian military campaign in the Wars of the Roses, to a letter from Margaret to John Paston requesting military supplies to defend their manor while he was away in London.
Women also used letters and petitions to advocate for freedoms and equality. Visitors will be able to see a petition made by Maria Moriana, who researchers believe was a woman of colour, to the Mayor of London, when her master, Philip Syne, tried to sell her and then imprisoned her when she refused. They will also be able to read what is thought to be the first public defence of women in Italy, by Nicolosa Sanuti in 1453.
Religion was an integral part of medieval life and in Spiritual Lives visitors will encounter one of the most famous women and martyrs of the period, Joan of Arc. On display for the first time in the UK is a signed letter from Joan to the citizens of Riom, sent on 9 November 1429, requesting gunpowder and military equipment for a coming siege. It provides a direct physical connection to a woman who still inspires many as a political and religious hero.
This section also includes accounts written by female mystics describing their extraordinary visions of God, such as the only complete surviving copy of the original version of The Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich, the first work in English known to be authored by a woman. Visitors will also get to see the only surviving manuscript of the earliest known autobiography in English, The Book of Margery Kempe, written in the 15th century, an extraordinary first-hand account of her visions and her struggle to be recognised as a holy woman. For women who felt a religious calling nunneries provided them with opportunities for education, creativity and community. On display are works by Hildegard of Bingen, a Benedictine abbess in the 12th century, including a copy of the proto-opera, Ordo virtutum (Play of the Virtues), which she composed around 1150 to be sung at her convent; a copy of The Rule of St Clare, the first set of monastic guidelines known to have been authored by a woman; an exquisite series of painted scenes from the life of St John the Baptist created in 1175-1200, the scenes are thought to be the only surviving creation from the renowned workshop of Herrad of Landsberg at Hohenburg Abbey in Alsace.
The British Library has also commissioned scent designer Tasha Marks to develop four immersive fragrance installations to evoke different scents and experiences from medieval life. In the Private Lives section are two fragrances, based on recipes from the 13th-century text De Ornatu Mulierum (On Women’s Cosmetics) for a hair perfume and a breath freshener. Inspired by women’s multisensory religious visions, visitors will also experience two scents in Spiritual Lives that speak to medieval understandings of the heavenly and demonic.
Eleanor Jackson, Lead Curator of Medieval Women at the British Library, said: ‘Through over 140 amazing objects, Medieval Women highlights the importance of original manuscripts, documents, printed books and artefacts in recovering the lives of women in the past. While their stories have been traditionally overlooked, this exhibition restores women to their central place in history and reveals the vital contributions that they have made to our society.’
