IMC 2022: Sessions
Session 306: Noblewomen Network, III: Heiresses, Agency, and Expressions of Authority
Monday 4 July 2022, 16.30-18.00
| Sponsor: | Noblewomen Network |
|---|---|
| Organisers: | Harriet Kersey, School of Humanities, Canterbury Christ Church University Charlotte Pickard, Centre for Continuing & Professional Education, Cardiff University |
| Moderator/Chair: | Harriet Kersey, School of Humanities, Canterbury Christ Church University |
| Paper 306-a | The Power and Authority of Norman Noblewomen, 1010-1160: The Charter Evidence (Language: English) Index terms: Charters and Diplomatics, Genealogy and Prosopography, Women's Studies |
| Paper 306-b | Heiresses and Their Choices during Succession Disputes in 13th-Century France (Language: English) Index terms: Charters and Diplomatics, Politics and Diplomacy, Women's Studies |
| Paper 306-c | Exceptionally Unexceptional?: The Political Career of Isabella, Countess of Fife, d. 1389 (Language: English) Index terms: Charters and Diplomatics, Politics and Diplomacy, Women's Studies |
| Abstract | Since the latter part of the 20th century there has been a great expansion in scholarship centred on women and their place in medieval society. This strand of sessions aims to bring together scholars working on medieval noblewomen - to build on and develop the discourse that has developed over the past few decades, with the continued aim of building a global network of scholars working in this vibrant area of research. Covering the lives of heiresses in both medieval England and France, our final session demonstrates the regularity in which noblewomen needed to actively defend their personal interests and rights. Using a wide range of sources from charters and material culture to marriage contracts, the papers in this session explore the subject of female agency and the strategies noble heiresses employed to protect their interests. It also discusses the choices these women made and the wider political implications of these decisions. |