Heather Tanner, Department of History, give a lecture titled "More powerful than you know – Noblewomen’s lordship and governance in high medieval France."
If you go by Lena Dunham’s Birdy and Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s The Last Duel, most folks view the medieval woman as a poster child of oppression– forced to marry at a very young age, never allowed a voice or self-determination, and certainly forbidden to govern. Scholars of medieval history agree that misogyny and patriarchy circumscribed women’s lives. Despite this, there’s a strong consensus that elite women, noble and royal, did wield power in the early medieval period (c. 500 – c. 1000), but that their high medieval (c. 1000-c. 1300) counterparts were effectively silenced and effaced from governance by institutional and legal changes by the thirteenth century. But were they?
Inaugural lectures celebrate Arts and Humanities faculty who have been promoted to the rank of professor. All lectures are held in the Faculty Club Grand Lounge from 4-6 p.m. and are preceded by a reception and followed by Q&A and discussion. All lectures are free and open to the public.
The Arts and Humanities Inaugural Lecture Series is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences.
