Caitlyn Forté

12/10/18
Period 2
Religion and Women in Europe and Southwest Asia in History

In Europe and Southwest Asia, between 600 c.e. And 1400 c.e., religious doctrine greatly

influenced the role of women, often stifling their voices in a form of religious practice. Not only

were women expected to submit to the authority of men, but their lives were largely influenced

by the men in their families. Women were expected to remain dutiful to their husbands, bow

down to the supremacy of men, and even still, take on the role of motherhood. Between 600 c.e.

and 1400 c.e., the role of women in Europe and Southwest Asia was limited to that of duty to

mankind, submission of authority, and expectations of motherhood and childbearing, all aspects

fostered by the religious doctrine and practices of the time period.

When it comes to women’s role in religion and their religious influence, participation was

largely restrained. Women were often left out of religious practices. In the Medieval Roman

Catholic Bible, it is referenced that men were of authority and knowledge and a woman was

expected to “learn in quietness and full submission” (D2). Furthermore, she was not to

undermine the teachings of man, “for it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner”

(D2). This reveals that medieval society was built upon gender roles and the limitation of

authority of women in general. In the Mishneh Torah, the religious education of women was

sparse and frowned upon when taught. It was believed that women did not have a “mind

adequate” enough to comprehend religious teachings (D3). Upon teaching girls religious

doctrine, men were only encouraging “wantonness” amongst women, suggesting that women

were viewed as deceitful sinners, and as such, deserved to be treated as lesser than men.

Together, these documents reflect the religious expectation that women were to sit back in
silence under the assumption that they were not worthy enough or knowledgeable enough to

comprehend religious teachings.

In addition to the lack of religious influence women had in Europe and Southwest Asia

between 600 c.e. and 1400 c.e., their livelihoods were generally impacted by the influence of

man. In instances of the death of a husband in a childless marriage, the Torah cites it as the

husband’s brother’s responsibility to then marry the widow and father her first child in the name

of her dead husband (D1). This obligation is inciteful to the expectation that women are to

procreate, even after the death of their husbands. Women were confined to their relationships

with the men in their family, expected to cover their bodies modestly. Women covered

themselves because, first and foremost, they had to protect themselves from the prying eyes of

male strangers as they were the property of their husbands and fathers. When it comes to

modesty, women were traditionally expected to cover themselves thoroughly. Women of Q’uran

practiced the custom of veiling themselves, as cited by an excerpt from the Q’uran (D3).

Head-coverings and layers of clothing were intended to conceal the bosom so as not to “display

[the] ornaments” of women (D3). This is followed by a long list of exceptions that includes all

men of the family and even extends itself to male servants and children (D3). An excerpt from

Muslim Women in Fourteenth Century Medieval Cairo​ compares women walking the streets to

“shining brides” and blames them for forcing “pious men” to retreat to the sides of the street in

order to let women pass (D5). Through these last two documents, it is evident that women are

expected to cover up, to be restricted in their social freedom, as a means of preserving the purity

of society as a whole. The influence of men in their lives dictated the necessity of childbearing

down to the clothing women wore.

 In addition to the powerful influence of man that greatly dictated the lives of women,

religiously inspired paintings and edicts defined the role of women to be largely maternal. A

painting produced circa 1400 c.e. entitled ​Madonna della Misericordia​ depicts the Virgin Mother

of Mercy, or as most people today know her, the Virgin Mary, Mother of God (D7). The

painting’s title in and of itself is reminiscent of the religious belief that women were of maternal

characteristics and were expected to carry out motherlike duties (D7). This motherlike quality is

evident as the painting reveals the Virgin Mother spreading her cloak out in an effort to shield

and protect the female monastics beneath her (D7). This holy depiction of the role of women as a

Motherly character helped to reinforce the expectations of motherhood that were demanded

during the time period (D7). Furthermore, excerpts from The Hadith, a collection of Muslim

edicts and traditions describe wives as being “vowed to the… ‘care of children’” (Stearns).

These religious expectations confined women to the roles of childbearing and motherhood,

barring them from both political and social activities.

In Europe and Southwest Asia, between 600 c.e. And 1400 c.e., the place of women, as

influenced by religious practices and doctrines, was limited greatly to submissive and motherly

roles. An excerpt from the Torah was reliable in portraying the submissive role of wisdom as it is

an original excerpt from the Bible (D1). The Torah reflects the order of events that were

expected and practiced in cases of the death of husbands in a childless marriage, further

solidifying the notion that women were to be submissive to the influence of men in their lives

(D1). Being an original religious text, chapter 24, verse 13 of the Q’uran reliably depicts what is

expected of women in terms of the modesty they were compelled to portray under the laws of

religion and influence of men (D3). Both religious excerpts are reliable in that they are true
manifestations of the Jewish and Muslim religions present during the 600 c.e. through 1400 c.e.

time period. These religious texts can be used to characterize the religious attitudes of the times.

In regards to the painting of Madonna della Misericordia by Parri Spinelli, a​n Italian painter of

the early renaissance, the timing of the production cerca 1440 c.e. proves the artwork to be a

reliable reference to the religious attitudes of the period (D7). As a work of period religious art,

Madonna della Misericordia​ reflects the widely accepted and universal religious concept of

motherhood as the main role of women (D7). ​Throughout both Europe and Southwest Asia,

between 600 c.e. and 1400 c.e., religious doctrines and practices suppressed women. Women had

a limited role in religion and authority, they were expected to be submissive to men, and their

main role in society was motherhood.

 Work Cited

Stearns, Peter M. “Changes and Continuities in India and Sub-Saharan Africa.”

​Gender in World History​, Routledge, 2015, p. 44.