Women at Work in Medieval Europe
A spirited look at a slice of history rarely discussed. High-born and low-born, women workers abounded in medieval Europe--running estates, brewing, baking, cloth-making, conducting international trade, healing, hunting, writing, mining, even selling their own bodies. They apprenticed to trades, they earned professional licenses from cities and states, and they identified themselves by the work they did. Organized by profession, Women at work in medieval Europe uses original documents and art to explore many trades women performed at this time, the rewards they attained by their labor as well as the dangers they faced. The women whose lives are sketched in this book--from luminaries like Christine de Pizan, to such humble professionals as the wool merchant Rose of Burford and the alewife Alice de Caustone--will fascinate historians and inspire the working women of today. --Back cover.