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Medieval Women 

 Girls from wealthy families got married or became nuns. Girls were usually married by the age of fourteen and most marriages were arranged by the parents. The bride's family gave the husband-to-be-a dowry. A dowry was the amount of money or possessions that the bride brought into marriage. Noblemen usually looked for women with big dowries. 

       Some unmarried women entered convents or nunneries in which they would devote their lives to God. When women entered a convent, they hoped to become educated and to have the responsibility of managing a large farm. As a nun, a woman would not be able to get married and lived similar life to monks.

                      A Women's Daily life

    Some Medieval churches used to refer to women as inferior to men. But the lives of women were much more than they said. Most of the women worked and toiled along side their husbands in the fields.They also had to feed and clothe their children. Wealthy ladies had to manage large households and sometimes run their husbands offices. A noble woman often managed her husbands estates while he went to battle or on a crusade, and was expected to defend her castle. However she also  found time to play chess.

    Some women were taught to manage trade. They worked with there fathers or husbands in their workshops, and some even became skilled tradeswomen. In the towns women had many occupations. They worked as storekeepers, bakers, or "alewives" who brewed ale. Many women spun wool as a living. They used a spinster to do this. 

    Young single women often wore their  hair loose but married women were expected to wear a wimple. A wimple was made of linen and was a sign of of modesty.        

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