English Noble Women’s Life In14-15Century

This paper focuses on the life situation of English noblewomen in the MiddleAge,and discusses the rule which the noblewomen play in themarriage,family,economic and religious fields,and then reveals the status which theylive in, by the whole life of the the English noblewomen then analyze the rights andstatus of different life stages.In the whole life, the women experiences from the semi-different of thedaughters to the being subject to the husband,and then the widows who own thewhole freedom. The daughters are under the control of the father in the youth,starts toreceive the moral and cultural education,the aim is to be a good wife. When thedaughters get married,the parents will give a dowery to her.The daughter’s marriagechoose is under the influence of the political interests,and depends on the opinion ofthe parents.The main area of the activities of the wives are in their home, and the wives arecharge of the management of the family life,sometimes,and assist the husband in thefamily property management.When the husbands are outside or in war,the wives arein charge of all the affairs, and take charge of the family property from being injury.The mothers undertake the educating the children.The dowery is under the dominantof the husband,the wives have no the property rights,including the common rights.Thehusbands are guardians,and the wives are accompanied by the husbands in court,andthe wives are the dependence of the husband.The widows own the property rights of the jointure and custody.The wives willreplace the husbands and exercise the rights of the family administration,and act asthe guardians. The widows own the independent property rights and the rights to bepresent in court,which this is never compared.. But, comparing with the men, thestatus of the widows is rather lower.The English noblewomen play the important rule in the later Middle Ages.Underthe patriarchal,women influence the social life and culture in their ways.Their rightscan’t get the agreements,their property rights are violated,in the medieval life,their status are evident,but at the same time,women are active in the social life,womenplay the important rule in the social life.