How did the power in the middle ages change?

Answer 1

The issue of the power of women in the Middle Ages is very complicated, and I think books could be written on the subject without doing it complete justice.

There were many medieval monarchs who were women, such as Empress Irene of the Byzantine Empire, who was on the throne when Charlemagne was crowned emperor in Rome. And the political power women had in the Middle Ages seems to have continued through the period and into the Renaissance, with such powerful Queens as Margaret I of Denmark, who was medieval, and Elizabeth I of England, who was later.

There were important female military leaders; Joan of Arc is possibly best known, but by no means alone in the class. Interestingly, though I can name other medieval women who lead or served in armies, I cannot think of many of later times.

The impression I have, which is shared by some others, is that medieval women began to lose some power toward the end of the Middle Ages, and that Renaissance women had less, in general, than their predecessors. One example of this is the exclusion of women by guilds that had previously allowed them as members, which began in the Late Middle Ages. Another is the fact that women were no longer appointed to the knightly Order of the Garter for a long time after the Middle Ages. Yet another is laws of the Late Middle Ages that transferred a woman's property to her husband, when they married.

I put a link to a related question below. Though it does not address this specific question, you might find it interesting.