In one of the articles discussed in class this week, Megan McLaughlin
addresses the topic of women as warriors in the Middle Ages, like Joan of Arc. McLaughlin
stresses that women often participated in war when it was required of them.
This frequently happened during an “emergency” that would in essence enable or necessitate
that a woman, usually of noble birth, forge a path in the male-dominated sphere
of war if briefly (CP 26-27). The author also emphasizes it is more difficult
to find an example of women simply, “fighting for their own purposes and
apparently on the same basis as their male counterparts,” for which she cites a
few well-known instances of widows in conflict with male relatives for
landholdings (CP 26, 28). In this way, McLaughlin appears to separate women’s
warring activities into two “types,” one based on the necessity of defense and
one based on individual motivations, not strictly tied to defensive measures
only. However, such typifying, to a degree, increases a sense of mutual exclusivity
between the two that does not exist.
Women in war during the Middle Ages were able to act outside of gender
norms because of arising “emergencies,” yet also took advantage of their
entrance into the public sphere to advance their own aims further than simple
defense required. One interesting example of this is Jeanne de Belleville or
Jeanne de Clisson, who is also now legendarily known as the Lioness of
Brittany. She was a French noblewoman in the fourteenth century, whose husband,
Lord Olivier de Clisson, was executed by the French king as he was expected to
have ties to the English in a time when the English and French crowns were
vying for control of Brittany. Jeanne’s reaction was not only to save her life
by fleeing to England, but rather to gather a small fleet and engage in naval
warfare against France along the journey.1 In an excerpt from the
book, “Seafaring Women,” Dr. De Pauw describes Jeanne, saying, “She sold her
jewels, bought and outfitted three ships, and then cruised along the coast of
Normandy, attacking French vessels and ravaging the countryside.”2 In the case of Jeanne de Belleville, she was
both a noblewoman and widow forced by circumstance and conflict to leave her home
country, yet also a warrior in her own rights and in some ways, by choice. Much
of her story is wrapped up in legend, but she still historically represents a
woman who had to react, but did so to further her own cause.
Was, as Jeanne de
Belleville demonstrates, widowhood or in the case of Joan of Arc, virginity,
essential to making war as a woman in the Middle Ages when it involved one’s “own
purposes”?
Sources:
Course packet compiled
by Dr. Wolbrink 2014
1.
http://www.jamesadamshistoricenterprises.com/treasuretrove/jeandeclisson.html
2.
http://www.navyandmarine.org/ondeck/1800seawomen.htm
Image: Google Images
Sadie,
ReplyDeleteReally interesting post! I wondered whether you had any thoughts on how these women were perceived by society? Did society welcome these women warriors? Did the women return to their "normal" lives after their time as a warrior was done? Was returning to the life they once knew even an option?