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The Conversation USA

Gifts that live on, from best bodices to money for bridge repairs: Women’s wills in medieval France give a glimpse into their surprising independence

  • Written by Joelle Rollo-Koster, Professor of Medieval History, University of Rhode Island
imageWomen's wills and last testaments provide a more nuanced picture of life in the Middle Ages than medieval stereotypes allow, such as that depicted in "Death and the Prostitute" by Master of Philippe of Guelders.Gallica/Bibliothèque nationale de France/Feminae

In medieval Europe, views of women could often be summed up in two words: sinner...

Read more: Gifts that live on, from best bodices to money for bridge repairs: Women’s wills in medieval...

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