Christian Women of the Medieval Era – Book Reviews

Introduction

For the last few months we have taken a journey through the Middle Ages. It has been exciting to share a few of the hundreds of stories that are available of faithful women who served in God’s kingdom during the approximate 1000-year span, roughly 500 to 1500 AD. We began with Genovefa (423 – 502) and moved through approximately ten centuries to Angela of Merici (1470-1540). We have discovered that there were many faithful women including queens, empresses, abbesses, nuns, Beguines, sisters in monasteries, writers, godly wives, mothers, social reformers, and many others. Thousands of women were called and gifted by God to serve Christ during this very interesting time in history. 

I hope you enjoyed the stories, and I would like to share with you some of the many wonderful books you can get which will give you many hours of inspiration and joy as you discover so much more about these incredible women. These books contain the background of the Middle Ages and include many stories as well that I could not include in the limited blog space.

Women Saints from the Middle Ages

There is very little teaching done on women who lived during the Middle Ages. This is not only true in general society but also in the church. It is a shame because the women who lived from 500 to 1500 AD did wonderful work in the Kingdom of God. They served the poor, comforted the mourning, raised godly families, and much more. Many even left us written accounts of their activities. If we did not have these stories we would not know as much about everyday life during Medieval times. If you ever wondered what God’s saints were doing during this thousand-year time period, these books will fascinate and enlighten you. 

–– Bishop, Morris. The Middle Ages. (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1996). 

This is a great book if you just want to read stories about what life was like from the fall of Rome to the Renaissance. The author devotes each chapter to various aspects of culture – Knights, Nobles, Faith, Commerce, Cultural Thought, Artists, and Influential people. He is a great storyteller and you will not find this to be a dry, dull book!! 

–– Deen, Edith. Great Women of the Christian Faith. Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour and Company, Inc, 1959).

In this book on great Christian women in history, you will encounter the stories of 45 spiritual leaders and 76 other women from around the world. The stories include women from many denominations. Theological controversies are put aside. The important thing about each woman is that she loves Jesus and that her life shows how she served God faithfully. 

You will be inspired as you read the stories of martyrs, mothers, wives, and even political leaders. The stories span the last twenty centuries (at least up until the writing of the book in 1959). 

Of special interest for this review is the fact that Edith Deen relates the stories of more than a dozen women from the Middle Ages. Edith Deen has a great gift as a storyteller and I think you will not find this book to be “dry”. This would be a great book to have on your shelf for a survey of Christian women.

—  Dronke, Peter, Women Writers of the Middle Ages, (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1984).

This book actually covers from 300 AD to around 1300 AD. That is because Perpetua is included. Perpetua is considered one of the earliest women Christian writers. Perpetua and her slave Felicitas were martyred on March 7, 203 AD. Perpetua wrote an account of her life that has been preserved for us. Peter Dronke continues moving through the Middle Ages telling the stories of Dhuoda, Hrotsvitha, Heloise, Hildegard of Bingen and Marguerite Porete, focusing on their writings. He also includes the poetry by women of the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

The book contains the writings of the female saints, and Dronke emphasizes the women’s personal testimonies. Peter Dronke has shown what skilled writers women are. It is too bad that their stories are so neglected. Though a little on the “dry” side I think you will be amazed and uplifted by these accounts.

— Gies, Frances and Gies, Joseph. Women in the Middle Ages: The Lives of Real Women in a Vibrant Age of Transition (New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2018).

Frances and Joseph have written many books on the Middle Ages and are considered top in the field. In fact, George R. R. Martin used their books for his research for Game of Thrones. In this book you will find great background information on the Middle Ages and then eight wonderful stories of women whose lives illustrate the main features of life in Medieval culture – religious, political leaders, wives and others. Frances and Joseph are great storytellers and you will enjoy this book.

—  Hamburger, Jeffrey F., and Marti, Susan, Editors, Crown & Veil: Female Monasticism from the Fifth to the Fifteenth Centuries, (Columbia University Press, New York, 2008).

When most people picture a convent they imagine a quiet, secluded, austere building far away from civilization. While some convents were purposefully more secluded, most were communities of women who were able to engage in activities otherwise denied them both inside and outside of the cloister.  We noted other types of religious communities when we examined the lives of the Beguines and other tertiaries. 

Convents were not the bleak places we often imagine them to be. Women went to convents to get an education as well as to fellowship and pray with other women. Many “nuns” wrote books, poetry, and music. Others painted and engaged in other facets of art. Most did not reside like hermits in their cloisters but moved out into the surrounding community with food and clothing and medicine and love for the poor and needy. Some abbesses were renowned for their Biblical knowledge and wisdom and their spiritual care of others in the convent and in the surrounding community. 

This book is a series of articles by different authors, each telling of the different aspects of female monastic life. It is thrilling to see what sort of life Christian women lived during the Middle Ages. You won’t be disappointed!

—  McNamara, Jo Ann, Editor and Translator, Halborg, John E. and Whatley, E. Gordon, Editors, Sainted Women of the Dark Ages, (Duke University Press, London, 1992).

The book contains the stories of 18 Frankish women (12 abbesses, 3 queens, and other devout widows and wise women) who lived during the so-called Dark Ages – the time period of the sixth and seventh centuries. This time period covers from the fall of the Roman Empire until the rise of Charlemagne’s family. 

Each chapter in the book gives the historical background of the saint. Then the editors include information gained from historical documents. Many of the stories will contain information that is strange sounding if you are not a Roman Catholic. I grew up with stories of the miracles that surrounded women saints. The editors of this book put their own commentary in the footnotes for you. How much is myth or legend? I believe that God does do miracles and heal people. I am sure that the prayers of these saintly women had some effect. Even if some of the legends are just that – legends – they are interesting stories. Every legend contains a kernel of truth. 

I think you will still enjoy reading this book. Again, it is proof that God was at work in the so-called Dark Ages!

— Thiebaux, Marcelle, translator and editor. The Writings of Medieval Women: An Anthology. (New York: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, 2012)
There were so many women authors in the Middle Ages! Marcelle Thiebaux has done the world a great favor by collecting their writing in one place. Thirty-six works are included from Perpetua of Carthage to Margery Brews Paston. Over half of these women were covered in my blog posts, so here is the reference book for you if you wanted to read more from these gifted, godly women.

I hope this is just a starting place for you. You will find interesting background material and great stories including many that I did not include. If I would continue to include all of the great women whose stories I came across, we could easily do two more years of posts!!! The books listed above are general works. I have over 100 books on the individual women whose stories I did tell, so I decided not to list all of those. Please ask me for suggestions if you want to do further reading on any of these great women. God bless you.