Medieval Women & The Legend of King Arthur

Medieval Women

The Role of Women in Society

Women in the Middle Ages were often seen as property within marriage contracts, used for trade and economic gain. The Church viewed them with suspicion, portraying them as temptresses and untrustworthy figures.

However, women also held active roles in society, particularly as femmes soles. These were women who managed businesses, such as butchers, chandlers, net makers, and spinsters. They also participated in the economy through "bye-industries" like brewing ale, sewing, and selling clothes.

While guilds generally excluded women, widows and daughters of guildsmen were sometimes allowed to run businesses. A notable example is the Wife of Bath from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, an independent and sexually liberated woman who travels alone.

Margery Kempe

Margery Kempe was a mystic who embarked on extensive pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago de Compostela, and Poland. In the late 1420s, she dictated her autobiography, The Book of Margery Kempe, which recounts her visions, temptations, travels, and trial for heresy.

The Legend of King Arthur

Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur

The most famous version of King Arthur's story is Morte d'Arthur, written by Sir Thomas Malory and published in 1485. Malory translated and adapted existing Arthurian tales, creating a vision of a golden age of chivalry and a unified kingdom ruled by a noble aristocracy.

Written during the tumultuous War of the Roses, a period of civil war and unrest, Morte d'Arthur reflects society's yearning for stability and order. Malory, who was imprisoned for various crimes, repeatedly states that much of his work was translated from a "French book."

Malory's Version of the Legend

In Malory's telling, Arthur becomes king by drawing a magical sword (later replaced by Excalibur) from an anvil in London, a feat no other man could accomplish. Guided by Merlin, he conquers his enemies, marries Guinevere, and establishes his court at Camelot and the Order of the Round Table.

However, the seeds of disaster are sown when Arthur's son, Mordred, is conceived through an incestuous affair with his half-sister, Morgan le Fay.

Origins of the Arthurian Legend

While Arthur is mentioned in poems from the 6th-9th centuries, Geoffrey of Monmouth is credited with giving the Arthurian saga its literary form in his History of the Kings of Britain (12th century). Although claiming to chronicle real events, Geoffrey also incorporated elements of fantasy, such as Merlin, Excalibur, and the Isle of Avalon.

Over time, new elements were added to the legend. Arthur's half-sister, the enchantress Morgan le Fay, ruler of Avalon, emerged as a prominent figure. In 1155, the poet Robert Wace introduced the Round Table. In the 12th century, the French writer Chrétien de Troyes added Lancelot and the Holy Grail, establishing the genre of Arthurian romance.

The tragic love triangle between Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot, a trusted friend who betrays the king by engaging in a secret affair with his wife, became a central theme in later versions of the legend.