Women in the Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia Edited by Katharina M. Wilson and Nadia Margolis The experiences of women in the Middle Ages have been receiving growing amounts of attention, and we are only now beginning to appreciate the full extent of their contributions. Medieval women shaped political and domestic life, founded and nurtured religious orders, and created numerous enduring literary works. Comprehensive in scope, meticulous in scholarship, and accessible in style to general readers and specialists alike, this encyclopedia offers full coverage of the myriad roles, experiences, and contributions of women in the Medieval world. Written by leading scholars in a variety of fields, Women in the Middle Ages offers more than 300 alphabetically arranged entries that conclude with extensive bibliographies of both primary and secondary sources. Entries cover people and topics ranging from the third to the fifteenth centuries, and treat well-known figures, more recently discovered or re-evaluated figures, and much more: * Eleanor of Aquitaine * Joan of Arc * Dowager-patron Alice Chaucer * Mystics - including Frau Ava and Elizabeth of Schonau * Poets - including Christine de Pizan, Mira Bai, and Walladah * Rulers - including Byzantine Empress Theodora * Religious founders - including St. Bridget of Sweden and Clare of Assisi * Visionaries and mystics - including Hadewijch of Barbant and Mragery Kampe * Novelists - including Murasaki Shikibu * Enchantresses - including Morgan le Fay * Poets - including Marie de France * Women troubadours and trouveres * Women in cultural groups, such as Aztec, Chinese, Fatimid, and Jewish women * Women's guilds * Women in medicine, music, or the arts * Women and the law (e.g., Canon Law) * Women in transcendent characters and myths (e.g. Guinevere, Valkyries) * Women as "deviants" (e.g., lesbians, transvestites) * Women as demons and fairies (e.g., Melusine, witches) * Cult figures (e.g., the Virgin Mary) Medieval women in the principal stages of life, both mortal and spiritual, are also covered in entries on childhood, virginity, marriage, widowhood, penitentials, hagiography, and relics. This illustrated encyclopedia also includes a general bibliography, index, and guide to related topics.