Gender in Pre-Modern Europe - Essay Example

Gender in Pre-Modern Europe Gender in Pre-Modern Europe Introduction Prior to the Industrial Revolution, theEuropean society, like many others, defined gender roles differently from our modern understanding of the same (Jenner 1994). In this paper, the author draws from primary and secondary sources to develop their interpretation of gender roles in late medieval through early modern Europe. In addressing the topic, the author considers three questions. The first question relates to the roles that society expected of men and women. The second one explores whether or not it was possible for one to venture out of the roles that society expected them to play. Finally, the author examines the various forms on transgressive or non-condoned behavior that one might engage in and the potential checks that society imposed on such wayward behavior. The Pre-Modern European society dealt more harshly with women than with men. Societal Roles Breadwinning in Pre-Modern Europe was virtually reserved for men; it was left to men to toil and bring the bacon home (Jenner 1994). As serfdom was widespread in Europe then, the majority of men were peasants who did not own any land, but instead tilled the masters’ large parcels of land. In return they retained an agreed portion of the farm produce for their sustenance and that of their families. Meanwhile, the landlord took the bulk of the produce. As agriculture was not mechanized then, it was labor-intensive and peasants depended on their families for the labor they needed for the land. Besides peasantry there were few other means of livelihoods or occupations such trade and military service, both of which were dominated by members of the nobility, and priesthood. The role of men providing for their families, especially through peasantry, is dominant across the primary sources recommended for this assignment. Another role men played in Pre-Modern Europe was leadership, both in politics and in the church. Political leadership at the time was synonymous with warfare. An example in the primary sources provided is the Commons revolt of 1831 led by Wat Tyler. The Commons revolt was staged by the commons, that is, peasants in the countryside and ordinary people in the cities to demand an end to serfdom. The high poll taxes imposed by the English Parliament in a bid to raise money for the Hundred Years’ War triggered the revolts. The commons were the hardest hit by the tax (“The Commons revolt: Wat Tylers Rebellion” n.d.). Another example of a leader of this period who is associated with war was Bertran de Born, who was the Lord of Hautefort in France. Bertran was at war for the better part of his reign. In the poem I Love the Joyful Time, he describes his love for war (“I Love the Joyful Time n.d.). On their part, besides helping their husbands with tilling the land, women in Pre-Modern Europe were largely homemakers: they stayed at home, gave birth to and raised children and did house chores. This role comes out in a number of poems contained in the primary sources such as Browny, the Priests Cow and The Priest Who Peeked. Women were also brought up to be love seekers, although not all men returned their love all the time, with dire consequences. Comtessa de Dia, illustrates this point adequately. In one of her poems, she narrates of her great anguish that stems from her obsession with a soldier whom she laments she loved “too much” (“Ive Been in Great Anguish” n.d.). It appears the soldier did not return her love. Breaking out of Societal Rolesand Norms Besides the roles men and women are expected to play,every society throughout the history of mankind has had norms. These are implicit codes of behavior that every member of the society is expected to adhere to. They are implicit, as they are not contained in formal documents, say as laws. Rather, by virtue of belonging to the society, every member is expected to know and uphold them. In Pre-Modern Europe, there were several instances of women who "defied" their society-defined roles to assume leadership roles. The incidence of women rulers was quite common among the nobility. For peasant women, it was much harder to ascend to leadership positions. Still some women from peasant backgrounds became peasants against all odds. An example is Jeanne d’Arc. Jeanne was born to a French peasant family in Lorraine, a regional that was loyal to the King of France during the Hundred Years War(“Letter to the English” n.d.). One day she approached Charles, heir of the King of France and persuaded him to allow her to advance on a mission against England on the behalf of the heir. Jeanne’s request was granted, but not without preconditions. She had to undergo tests that Charles prescribed to determine her orthodoxy and virginity. Female examiners were engaged to establish her virginity while a team of theologians claimed that her mission was divine (“Letter to the English” n.d.). In May 1429, under the leadership of Jeanne, the French army defeated the English at the battle of Orleans.The French victory under the leadership of Jeanne, a woman, was a psychological turning point of the war. However, the story of Jeanne depicts the challenges that faced women who dared to break out of their conventional roles as defined by society. Had Jeanne been a man, it is unlikely that Charles would have subjected her to the same scrutiny. Throughout history, societies expect priests to be godly people of high integrity. However, Pre-Modern European priests defied this norm. Instead, a good number, consumed by greed, accumulated massive wealth at the expense of their congregations. For instance, in Browny, the Priests Cow, the parish priest extorted his parish in the name of giving to God in order to receive blessing(“Browny, the Priests Cow”, n.d.). On this particular occasion, however, he was unlucky as he ended up losing not only the cow he had extorted from a member of his congregation, but also his own. In another incident, a priest capitalized on the foolishness of a peasant to have an illicit affair with the peasant’s wife. Transgressive Behavior and Societal Checks Often, people diverge from the way society expects them to behave, even though they are aware of what society expects of them. The deviation could be positive or negative. Either way, every society has a way of punishing, or at least rebuking, such people. In the case of Jeanne, there were men in the French nobility that felt threatened by her successful military campaign against the English. They conspired and had her arrested and sold to the English in 1431, barely two years after the Orleans victory. She was charged with and condemned for witchcraft, apostasy and heresy (“Letter to the English” n.d.). The English burned her at the stake. It appears that for some reason, the Pre-Modern European society was more prepared to let men who defied society norms walk away unscathed. For instance, neither of the two priests earlier cited was punished for their wrongdoing. Religion and the Catholic Church in particular, influenced every aspect of Pre-Modern Europe. The Inquisition, variably called the "Holy Office", was established in many countries in medieval Europe (“The Inquisition (1536-1567)” n.d.). The broad objective of The Inquisition was to defend the orthodoxy of the Catholic Church. In particular, it was established to deal with the problem of the conversos: former Jews who had converted to Christianity, but whose motive for conversion was suspect. Soon, however, the Inquisition extended to Protestants, Erasmian humanists and people suspected of sorcery. The Inquisition was set up in Spain during the initial years of the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella. In Spain, the activities of the Inquisition extended to everyday practices of popular culture. An example a victim of the Inquisition in Spain was a 1536 Toledo case involving Francisca Diaz, the wife Alonso de Arenas. She was accused of committing several acts of sorcery. By law she was liable to be punished “heavily” save that she presented herself before the Holy Office, of her volition, and confessed her sins (“The Inquisition (1536-1567)”, n.d.). Conclusion The Pre-Modern European society assigned men and women different roles. Within the context of the family, the man was the breadwinner while the woman stayed at home to bear and raise children and perform household chores. Overall, leadership positions both in politics and in the church were held by men, although some women defied odds to hold political leadership positions. While society expected people to behave in a particular way, some people deviated from society norms. For instance, cases of corrupt parish priests were rampant in this period of European history (Jenner 1994). Such priests neglected their pastoral duties and instead concentrated on accumulating wealth at the expense of their parishes. Society had a way of punishing, or at least rebuking, those who deviated from the norms (Davis 1983). In administering such punishments and corrections, it appears that the society dealt more harshly with women than with men. References n.d. "A poem of war: Bertran de Born, I Love the Joyful Time (12th c.). Original in Occitan." n.d. "Browny, the Priests Cow." Davis, Natalie Zemon . 1983. The Return of Martin Guerre. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Jenner, Mark. 1994. "Women, work, property and gender in early modern Europe." European Review of History: Revue européenne dhistoire 239-243. n.d. "National feeling: Jeanne dArc, Letter to the English (1429). Original in French." n.d. "Song of a trobairitz: Comtessa de Dia, Ive Been in Great Anguish (c.I2oo?). Original in Occitan." n.d. "The commons revolt: Wat Tylers Rebellion (after 1381). Original in Anglo-French." 518. n.d. "The Inquisition (1536-1567)." 51-57. Read More