| Paper 1619-a | 'Though a woman, I imagined myself a man': Margaret of Beverley and Crusading Heroines
(Language: English)
Dana Bublitz, Reed College, Oregon
Index terms: Crusades, Gender Studies, Language and Literature - Latin, Women's Studies |
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| Paper 1619-b | Satire, Slavery, and Sin in Warner of Rouen's Moriuht: An 11th-Century Account of Forced Migration
(Language: English)
David Wyatt, School of History, Archaeology & Religion, Cardiff University
Index terms: Gender Studies, Language and Literature - Latin, Mentalities, Sexuality |
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| Abstract | Paper -a:
This paper evaluates the place of Thomas of Froidmont's Odoeporicum et Pericula Margaritae Ihersolimitanae within crusading literature, specifically those works which deal with women's participation in holy warfare. A Cistercian monk writing in the 13th century, Thomas of Froidmont's Odoeporicum is a purported biography of his sister Margaret of Beverley's experiences on pilgrimage through the Holy Land between 1187 and c. 1192, including her involvement in the Siege of Jerusalem in 1187 and subsequent capture and ransom. Thomas' text has yet to received detailed attention from scholars, although it adds new dimensions to the study of women and crusading.
Paper -b:
Warner of Rouen's satirical poem Moriuht provides a graphic account of the enslavement of an Irish poet and his wife at the hands of Viking raiders during the early years of the 11th century. It is indicative of contemporary cultural conceptions regarding the stigma of servitude; illustrating how medieval authors employed graphic sexual imagery to emphasise conditions of powerlessness. Highlighting the cultural significance of slavery and slave-taking in the northern world, this paper explores the symbolic significance of slave-raiding as an expression of warrior prowess. It also illustrates how profound associations between powerlessness, sinfulness, and shame permeated the medieval psyche.
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