Browsing by Author "Barker, Amelia"

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Laywomen and authority in France during the Great Western Schism, 1378-1417 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
(Massey University, 2023-06-10) Barker, Amelia
The period of the Great Western Schism (1378-1417) was one of great religious and political division in France. This crisis threatened institutional authority, creating opportunities for laywomen to become more influential. Though historians have considered the fascinating imagery produced by female visionaries during this time and the role that noble and religious women played in the Schism, they have not fully considered how laywomen were able to capitalise on the political and ecclesiastical crises of authority to make their voices heard. Starting by exploring the medieval models of sanctity for women, this thesis considers the experiences of three visionary laywomen and how they adapted or adopted certain hagiographical topoi to legitimise their voices as God’s messengers. Marie Robine (d.1399), Constance de Rabastens (d.1386), and Ermine de Reims (d.1396) lived in different areas of France and supported different papacies, yet all experienced life-changing visions influenced by the Schism. The social networks they formed around themselves also impacted the level of influence these women attained. While Marie and Constance attempted to use their visions to influence Schism politics, Ermine tried to hide hers away but was forced into the public eye by her confessor. The experiences of these women reveal more clearly the tensions between gender, authority, and agency for laywomen during a brief but tumultuous period in France’s history. This thesis provides a clear example of how medieval laywomen of non-noble social status were not just silent witnesses of great political and religious turmoil in their communities, but actively engaged and eager to influence those in power.
The saint, the béguine and the heretic : laywomen and authority in the late medieval church, c.1200-1400 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
(Massey University, 2019) Barker, Amelia
Authority in the late medieval Church was usually vested in clerical men, but it could also be acquired by women, even laywomen. This thesis considers the contrasting experiences of three laywomen who attempted to gain authority: Mechthild of Magdeburg (c.1207-c.1282), Marguerite Porete (c.1250-1310), and Catherine of Siena (1347-1380). One was ostracised, one burnt at the stake, and one was canonised. This thesis examines the factors that explain these divergent fates in order to offer more general insights into the problems associated with female authority. Scholarship on women and authority currently focuses predominantly on the nobility and religious, yet these case studies reveal how non-noble laywomen could utilise certain tools to legitimise themselves and achieve recognition that their words were God’s own. This thesis shifts away from the tendency of current historiography to generalise women’s experiences as universal, as a result of their common gender, and focuses instead on the individuality of their experiences. It therefore considers the impact of different political and geographical contexts on their lives, the importance to them of male support, but also the agency each woman had in utilising clerical authority and hagiographical topoi to prove their authority to late medieval audiences.