Thou shalt not pass. Gender segregation in medieval churches

A dark line on the floor of Durham Cathedral prevented half of the medieval population from crossing it. What was it doing there?

Elizabeth den Hartog • September 17, 2021

In the eye of the beholder. Female perspectives on the importance of beauty

The famous male author Baldassare Castiglione wrote that "much is lacking to a woman who lacks beauty". But what did women themselves think about this topic?

Marlisa den Hartog • December 11, 2020

Pious women and warrior queens. Female role models in the late medieval period

Medieval women were considered unfit for public tasks such as governance and warfare. Nonetheless, many princesses wielded power, as a result of their dynastic position and personal ambition. Female role models of the late medieval period seem to reflect the ambiguity of their position.

Margreet Brandsma • September 18, 2020

Makeup and female beauty standards in Renaissance Italy

In Renaissance Italy, the female beauty ideal included features such as blonde hair and a pale skin. Women tried their best to live up to these expectations, but elaborate makeup and beauty routines were not without risk.

Marlisa den Hartog • July 10, 2020

Horn-bearers, voodoo dolls and magic cups: Discovering adultery with medieval magic tricks

The main attraction of magic was its perceived power to influence things that made people anxious, because they were beyond their control. Judging by medieval literature, to a medieval husband, one of the biggest causes for anxiety was his wife’s fidelity.

Marlisa den Hartog • January 11, 2019

Did Medieval Women Have ‘Agency?’ Or was it ‘All About the Patriarchy’? Examples from Medieval Spain

Scholars have long argued about the extent of female agency in the middle ages. New research from Catalonia suggests a society ready to respect female authority on many levels. But how do these findings relate to women’s experience outside Western Europe?

Jeff Fynn-Paul • October 05, 2018

“A pair of apples fashioned in ivory”: Female breasts and the male gaze in Renaissance Italy

[Click here: naked women!] Modern advertising companies often use the female body, and breasts in particular, to attract attention. Renaissance artists and writers were rather preoccupied with the subject too.

Marlisa den Hartog • March 02, 2018

#MeToo in Persian poetry

#MeToo may be seen as a new phenomenon, but there are many examples in medieval Islamic literature of sexual harassment and women who defend their rights and personal integrity.

Asghar Seyed Gohrab • November 24, 2017

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