tailieunhanh - Noblewoman aristocracy and power in the twelfth century anglo norman realm

This is the first study of noblewomen in twelfth-century England and Normandy, and of the ways in which they exercised power. It draws on a rich mix of evidence to offer an important reconceptualisation of women’s role in aristocratic society, and in doing so suggests new ways of looking at lordship and the ruling elite in the high middle ages. The book considers a wide range of literary sources such as chronicles, charters, seals and governmental records to draw out a detailed picture of noblewomen in the twelfth-century Anglo-Norman realm. It asserts the importance of the life-. | NOBLEWOMEN ARISTOCRACY AND POWER IN THE TWELFTH-CENTURY ANGLO-NORMAN REALM Susan M. Johns GENDER in history Series editors Pam Sharpe Patricia Skinner and Penny Summerfield The expansion of research into the history of women and gender since the 1970s has changed the face of history. Using the insights of feminist theory and of historians of women gender historians have explored the configuration in the past of gender identities and relations between the sexes. They have also investigated the history of sexuality and family relations and analysed ideas and ideals of masculinity and femininity. Yet gender history has not abandoned the original inspirational project of women s history to recover and reveal the lived experience of women in the past and the present. The series Gender in History provides a forum for these developments. Its historical coverage extends from the medieval to the modern periods and its geographical scope encompasses not only Europe and North America but all corners of the globe. The series aims to investigate the social and cultural constructions of gender in historical sources as well as the gendering of historical discourse itself. It embraces both detailed case studies of specific regions or periods and broader treatments of major themes. Gender in History titles are designed to meet the needs of both scholars and students working in this dynamic area of historical research. Noblewomen aristocracy and power in the twelfth-century Anglo-Norman realm MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY PRESS Seal of Alice Countess of Northampton 1140-60 Egerton . Reproduced by permission of the British .