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[ Up ] [ Chapter Two ] [ The Plight of the Renaissance Woman ]
The Plight of the Renaissance Woman
THE PLIGHT OF THE RENAISSANCE WOMAN
Eve's misguided decision in the Garden of Eden has continued to plague women to
this day. Luckily, women today experience more equal rights than ever before,
but the Renaissance woman was not so lucky. Margaret King, author of Women of
the Renaissance, portrays the unappealing plight of the woman of that day. Women
of the Renaissance were restricted, basically enslaved, in every aspect of life.
From birth until their death, women were left to the decisions of the men in
their lives. Women were held down by their family, the church, but some were
allowed to gain recognition by their society. From the moment of birth, women
were treated as second class citizens.
According to King, girls were abandoned more often at birth than boys. Males
were preferred because families needed heirs. Girls were sent out to be nursed
by someone else and if food got scarce in a family, girls were the chosen victim
of starvation. Daughters required a dowry to accompany them in marriage. A dowry
meant money and property which was taken from the family in order to get the
daughter married. Though a woman was allowed to retain the dowry in her name
after the marriage, she was not allowed to make decisions in regard to her
property. Her husband was allowed to make decisions about the property she
brought into the marriage. Upon her death, the property went to her father's
descendants, her children. When a woman was married, her main function was to
provide children to the marriage. Ms. King puts it best when she says, "a woman
is to stay home, gather, save, arrange, rearrange, account for goods, spend
nothing, say nothing, and dress attractively for her husband." A woman's duties
were confining, demeaning, and boring.
Not only did the husband keep his wife in tow, the church also had specific
ideas for women. Many times, girls were given as gifts to the church for service
in convents. They served out their lives there. These girls were protected and
secure, but enslaved. This practice led to an increase in the population in
convents through out Europe. In regards to sex, the church provided manuals and
guidebooks for sex. Sex was not permitted on certain religious holidays or
during menstruation, pregnancy, or lactation. Of course, women were seen as the
gender with the greatest sexual desire. In this age of restraint, I personally
can not understand why this would be so. A man's adultery
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basically went unnoticed, but a woman lost her inheritance, suffered separation
from her family, or was killed. The church also accused many women of witchcraft
during this period. The church was responsible for the witch hunts during the
Renaissance. Over 60,000 women were burned at the stake. Women were accused of
witchcraft, sorcery, and heresy. Women were tortured and then questioned by
their accusers. Torture continued until a woman confessed her guilt. Though it
might seem unbelievable, this holocaust against women in the Renaissance was led
by the church.
The church and family would mistreat women, but some were allowed by society to
gain some success and recognition. One example of a successful woman during this
time is Joan of Arc. She was triumphant in her battles and was perceived as more
successful than some men. This is probably why she was not very popular. Very
few women received power and authority, but there were two queens during this
time who reigned. Catherine de'Medici of France and Elizabeth of England. Many
people felt that women could not rule a country, most of these people were men.
Controversy filled their reigns. Unlike these ladies,
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women of meager beginnings were not so successful. Women were educated, but
these were mostly middle and upper class. Their education was different than
that of men. Women were educated in
reading classical and religious works. Unfortunately, there were only a few
women who rose from the feminine trap. Some of these bold and brave women were:
Christine de Pizan, Laura Cereta, Isotta Nogarola, and Margaret Roper. These
women laid the ground work for the future feminists
For the most part, women had a difficult life and weren't allowed many freedoms
in the Renaissance. King points out the many limits placed upon women during
this time. Though some women were successful during this time, it is tragic that
all women were not allowed to speak, think, or do for themselves. The majority
of the women in the Renaissance were only allowed to raise their children and
maintain their household. This had to be a horrible time to be a woman and I for
one, am glad that I did not live during this time.
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