The Fourth Estate: A History of Women in the Middle Ages

by Shulamith Shahar

In this wide-ranging study Shulamith Shahar considers the whole question of the varying attitudes to women and their status in western Europe between the twelfth and the fifteenth centuries. She draws a cohesive picture of women in a range of nuns, married women, peasants and noblewomen, townswomen and women involved in heretical movements and witchcraft. The Fourth Estate has become a classic in the study of women in the Middle Ages, and with a new introduction including new developments, this revised edition will keep its status as an invaluable student resource.

Genres: History, Medieval, Nonfiction, Research, Medieval History, Gender and Sexuality, Gender

382 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 1983

About the author

Shulamith Shahar was an Israeli historian. Shahar's 1981 study Fourth Estate: A History of Women in the Middle Ages was the first to specifically examine the role of women in the medieval period. The book is used as a text for gender studies and medieval history classes. This, and her subsequent books, have been published in both Hebrew and English. She wrote historical articles in these languages as well as French, and translated three books from Latin to Hebrew.

Reviews

[myanotmaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

an in depth look into what life was like for women in all sorts of various social classes, religious situations, and more throughout the Middle Ages

[Mija]

I got to about page 70, but then I had to flip through the rest so I had enough info for the assignment. I did think was well written and informative as an introduction, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the approach. I might end up picking it up again another time, but it's due back at the library soon (hence my returning without finishing).

[Annemarie Plenert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting comparison of social classes in the Middle Ages. A little repetitive and a bit drier than the Gies, but some of that may be translation.