Could the people of Britain read and write during the Middle Ages?

Answer 1

AnswerMost women couldn't. Neither could most men.

Only the people with alot of money learned it, as there were few teachers to teach it.

MoreThere is a link below to the related question, "What sort of education did they receive in the medieval period?" There is some discussion of education and women at that question.

Answer 2

1st AnswerNo. The nobility could read and write, but the peasant couldn't. This why stain glass windows were in churches to teach the bible, why verbal testimony was given in court, and why there were scribes. 2nd AnswerClearly some ordinary people of Britain could read and write.

King Alfred the Great, who died in 899, made it a policy that all free men of England have access to an education so they could learn to read and write. The term freeman referred to a farmer or other person below the level of nobility, but not necessarily serfs, who were not entirely free. His policy applied to nobility, and clearly the clergy were educated. The three (freemen, clergy, and nobility) would have represented a large part of the population, but probably not more than half.

King Alfred wanted this education in English, so ordinary people would not have to learn Latin to be able to read. He commissioned schools so people who have education available, and he commissioned the translation of great books into English so people could read them. He had the Anglo saxon Chronicle maintained in English, and was working on translating the Bible when he died. (See link below)

There were schools open in the Middle Ages that dated from the times of the Roman Empire, as we know because a Welsh school called Cor Tewdws, which had been opened by Emperor Theodosius, remained open (with a possible hiatus of 60 or so years) until the reign of Henry VIII. Also schools were opened throughout the Middle Ages in England. The oldest schools in the world, King's School in Canterbury, was opened in 597 AD, and the oldest state run school in the world, Beverley Grammar School, was opened in Northumbria in 700 AD. Interestingly, it remained open during the decades when the area it was in was governed by Vikings. Both these schools remain open to this day. (See links below)

Answer 3

Some women were literate in the middle ages, but very few.

Answer 4

If they were royalty yes