Description: This volume focuses on the paradox of motherhood in the European Middle Ages: to be a mother is at once to hold great power, and by the same token to be acutely vulnerable. The essays analyse the powers and the dangers of motherhood. Three main themes emerge: survival, agency, and institutionalization. The volume spans the Middle Ages, from late Ro
Review Quotes: 'The editors and contributors are to be congratulated for [...] a book that on every page has something interesting and new to say about the varied lives of mothers... All contributors have taken the opportunity to widen their specific interests to stimulating conclusions.' English Historical Review