De las feminae a las fembres: la misoginia medieval en Cataluña y Provenza

Abstract

This article analyses some of the causes of the deterioration of the image of women from the Early
Middle Ages to the Late Middle Ages misogyny in Catalonia and Provence. Study 1: Matrilineal
affiliation. During the acts of homage of the 10 th and 11 th centuries, vassals would become men or
women of their feudal lords by declaring themselves sons or daughters of their lord’s Mother; Stu-
dy 2. The presence of feminae in written documentation. These women were land holding owners
and were allowed to act freely in purchases, sales or transfers, playing a central role in business
without any attendance or assistance from men; 3. The exaltation of women in Troubadour litera-
ture and courtly love. With the declaration of the Crusade against the Cathars, this poetry was also
censored and even banned, due to its subversive character; Study 4: The dissemination of Marian
devotion from the 12 th century. Simultaneously, the standardisation and the elevation of marriage
to the rank of a sacrament.