The Decline of Papal Prestige

1215-1550

John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster

• Dominant figure in English politics of the 1370s

• Embroiled in struggle with the Church and merchant elite over prosecution of the war with France

• Progenitor of the house of Lancaster

Discuss the

Wife of Bath

       "Experience, though noon auctoriteeWere in this world, were right ynogh to meTo speke of wo that is in mariage;For, lordynges, sith I twelf yeer was of age,Thonked be God, that is eterne on lyve,Housbondes at chirche dore I have had fyve

-For I so ofte have ywedded bee -And alle were worthy men in hir degree.But me was toold, certeyn, nat longe agoon

is,

That sith that Crist ne wente nevere but onis

To weddyng in the Cane of Galilee,That by the same ensample, taughte he

me,That I ne sholde wedded be but ones.Herkne eek, lo, which a sharpe word for

the nones,Biside a welle Jhesus, God and Man,Spak in repreeve of the Samaritan

Thou hast yhad fyve housbondes, -- quod he, -- And that ilke man that now hath thee Is noght thyn housbonde, -- thus seyde he certeyn. What that he mente therby, I kan nat seyn; But that I axe, why that the fifthe man Was noon housbonde to the samaritan? How manye myghte she have in mariage? Yet herde I nevere tellen in myn age

Upon this nombre diffinicioun. Men may devyne and glosen, up and doun, But wel I woot, expres, withoute lye, God bad us for to wexe and multiplye; That gentil text kan I wel understonde.

According to the Wife of Bath’s Tale,What do women really want?

A. A submissive husbandB. Sovereignty in marriageC. A wealthy husbandD. No husbandE. A coequal partner in marriage

The Clerk’s Tale about Griselda is…

A. A sort of sick and twisted story about a prince who tests his wife’s obedience

B. A cheerful story about a woman who talks to animals

C. A crude and nasty story about a woman caught in a bar room brawl

D. A very short tale involving a Roman noblewoman, Virginia

Griselda

The Medieval Male’s Image

of the Virtuous Wife?

To what degree was Chaucer a feminist?

How did he characterize the Wife of Bath?

Why did Walter’s people ask him to marry in the Clerk’s Tale?

The Wedding Feast

Did Women Have a Renaissance?

• Women used distaffs (often much larger than the ones pictured at left) to create thread from wool

• Bridegooms often gave a distaff as a symbolic present to their wife around the time of marriage

• The distaff was a symbol for women throughout Europe

Legal Status of Medieval Women

Christine de Pizan

1363-1434

The Maid of Orleans

1412-1431

Margaret of Anjou

Mary Guise1515-60

• Relied on French support to remain in power

• Sought to unite France and Scotland

• Incited by John Knox, Protestants rebelled in 1559

• Protestants with aid from Elizabeth proved stronger and concluded the Treaty of Edinburgh which established Protestantism in Scotland

Mary Stuart• Daughter of James V and

mother of James VI, she was crowned at nine months old

• Cousin to Elizabeth and Mary Tudor

• Her mother was Mary Tudor, sister to Henry VIII

• Remained ardent Catholic throughout her life

• Was the apparent heir to Elizabeth from 1558-1587

• Spent most of her adult life in confinement either in Scotland or England

Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, 1542-1587

Mary Tudor, aka Bloody Mary, 1516-58

• During her early years she was used as bait in alliances a concept that Elizabeth seems to have appreciated

• Became princess of Wales in 1525

• Became Queen in 1553 and married Philip II in 1554

• Her marriage was the basis for her loss of popular support

Elizabeth c. 1546

• Object of the affections of her stepfather, Thomas Seymour

• Young Elizabeth was extremely quick learner and exceptionally serious at a young age

• She became an exceptional shrewd judge of people and situations

• Tutored by the renowned humanist, Roger Ascham: “no womanly weakness”

Elizabeth 1559

• Was 25 at her coronation

• Expectation for a short reign were rampant– Protestant Queen

of a mostly Catholic country

– “An ill advised woman”

– England’s recent losses on the Continent

Elizabeth

• Suffered from severe small pox in 1562

• Declared a heretic by the pope in 1570 (Bull of Regnans in Excelsis)

• Object of several assassination plots

• Relied heavily on informants and spies of Francis Walsingham

• Master of spectacle and display in the Renaissance tradition, her coronation alone cost £16,000

1588Gloriana