Single women were
a part of society in the Middle Ages, just as they are today, but
you'd be forgiven for thinking that they that their lives were small
and insignificant since they were often only included as appendages
to their fathers or husbands. It just isn't so.
Single women could
be young, unmarried girls under the age of 12 and in the care of
their families.
Single women could
be of marriageable age but not yet wed. Adults working at home or
in service or in the fields for the lords or daughters of knights,
rich and eligible enjoying all the things that high society had
to offer without the burden of running a household or motherhood.
They might be beggars or travellers.
Single women could
be separated or divorced or widowed, perhaps working at a trade
and enjoying a certain amount of freedom and autonomy. They might
be working at the oldest trade of all.
Single women could
be women of religion, living within the cloisters as a stop gap
until marriage, an educational opportunity or as an escape from
the outside world. Some embraced the religious life, while others
did not.
Depending on her
age and rank, these women had options, or not.
