Medieval manuscripts blog

Introduction

What do Magna Carta, Beowulf and the world's oldest Bibles have in common? They are all cared for by the British Library's Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts Section. This blog publicises our digitisation projects and other activities. Follow us on Twitter: @blmedieval. Read more

27 October 2024

Medieval Women events

Alongside our Medieval Women exhibition, we are delighted to announce a series of public events, featuring prominent speakers and focusing on themes connected with our show. The full listing can be found on our online events page.

On 29 October, Kate Mosse, novelist, playwright and campaigner, and author of Labyrinth and Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries, will pick her highlights from the voices and lives showcased in the exhibition, in Here and Now: Meet the Medieval Women. Kate will be joined by musician Kate Arnold in an exclusive live performance of medieval lyrics accompanied by the hammered dulcimer.

Portrait of Kate Mosse

Then, on 8 November, the exhibition curators will join historian Helen Castor in conversation, giving insights into how the show was put together, in Medieval Women: the Curators' Lunchtime Lecture

On 11 November, we are delighted to welcome Hetta Howes, talking about her new book, Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife, in conversation with Helen Carr, in The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women.

Poet  Mystic  Widow  Wife

We have a panel discussion on 18 November, Medieval Get Ready With Me, when Anita Bhagwandas, Jill Burke and Amber Butchart will be exploring the history of cosmetics, fragrances and treatments.

Our final event that month is The Ordinary Lives of Medieval Women, on 28 November, when historical novelist Philippa Gregory will be joined in conversation by presenter and journalist Sangita Myska, telling the stories of the 'ordinary' medieval women who went to war, tilled the fields, wrote, loved, committed crimes, cooked, nursed and rioted. But not necessarily all at once.

Philippa Gregory

Later in the year and into 2025, our speakers include Janina Ramirez and Lauren Groff, as well as theatrical and musical performances.

We hope you can join us either in person or online, and that you are able to visit our major exhibition, Medieval Women: In Their Own Words, at the British Library until 2 March 2025 (tickets can be booked in advance here).

This exhibition is made possible with support from Joanna and Graham Barker, Unwin Charitable Trust, and Cockayne – Grants for the Arts: a donor advised fund held at the London Community Foundation.

 

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25 October 2024

Medieval Women well and truly open

Fanfare, please! We are thrilled to say that the British Library's major new exhibition, Medieval Women: In Their Own Words, is now open to the public. The first ticket-holders are starting to go through the doors, and we hope thousands more will follow them in the coming months.

Statue of Eleanor of Castile

It's about time, we think, that medieval women took the spotlight. Margery Kempe (died in 1438) wrote the first autobiography in the English language. Her contemporary, Joan of Arc (burned in 1431), led armies to victory in a male-dominated world. Marta, an enslaved Russian woman, was sold in the marketplace in Venice in 1450. Shajar al-Durr (died in 1257) was the first woman to rule in Mamluk Egypt. Margery Brews wrote the first Valentine letter in 1477. Sibylle of Flanders (died in 1163) refused to return home with her husband from Jerusalem. Margaret of Anjou (died in 1482) owned a pet Barbary lion. Gwerful Mechain (lived in the late 1400s) wrote explicit poetry. Joan Astley asked Henry VI for a pay rise in 1423/4. Margaret, Maid of Norway (died in 1290), aged just seven, was to be betrothed to an English prince. Estellina Conat was the first woman to print a book in Hebrew, in 1474. Margaret Starre took part in the Peasants' Revolt in 1381. Joan of Beverley embroidered an altar band in the 14th century.

Our exhibition features an incredible range of manuscripts, documents and early printed books from the Library's collections, alongside some amazing loans from other institutions. Medieval Women is the culmination of many months' hard work behind the scenes, by colleagues in our Exhibitions, Loans, Conservation, Marketing, Press, Publishing, Events, Learning, Commercial and Visitor Services teams — not to mention the curators (Ellie, Julian, Calum) and our other colleagues. We hope you have the chance to visit our exhibition in person, to attend one of the events, or to buy the book. We like to think that the medieval women whose stories we tell would have been delighted to make your acquaintance.

A page from the Talbot Shrewsbury Book

This exhibition is made possible with support from Joanna and Graham Barker, Unwin Charitable Trust, and Cockayne – Grants for the Arts: a donor advised fund held at the London Community Foundation.

 

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24 October 2024

Medieval Women: the items on display

Medieval Women: In Their Own Words is on show at the British Library in London from 25 October 2024–2 March 2025.

A page from the manuscript of Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love

The manuscript of Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love: Add MS 37790

On display is an extraordinary array of manuscripts, documents, early printed books, paintings, coins, textiles and objects associated with women from across medieval Europe. They feature unique items from the British Library's own collections, alongside major loans from the Louvre, the British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and other institutions. We are extremely grateful to our lenders for making this exhibition possible.

Portrait of Margaret of York

Portrait of Margaret of York, on loan to the exhibition; Southern Netherlands, c. 1468: Musée du Louvre, RF 1938 17 (©Musée du Louvre)

You can explore some of the items in the exhibition in more detail here.

Private Lives

  • 'Disease woman', in the Wellcome Apocalypse, c. 1420: Wellcome Collection, MS 49 (©The Wellcome Collection)
  • A herbal containing plants used in medical treatments, late 13th or early 14th century: Egerton MS 747 (The British Library)
  • Medical treatises in Middle English by Hunain Ibn Ishak, Al-'Ibadi, William of Saliceto, John Arderne and others, 2nd quarter of the 15th century: Sloane MS 6 (The British Library)
  • Collection of medical texts, including treatises on anatomy, surgery and gynaecology, 1st quarter of the 15th century: Sloane MS 2463 (The British Library)
  • Cicero, De Senectute, written by Ippolita Maria Sforza, 1458: Add MS 21984 (The British Library)
  • Middle Dutch prayer-book, c. 1440-c. 1500: Harley MS 3828 (The British Library)
  • Maraviglia's prayer-book, 1469: Add MS 26957 (The British Library)
  • The Sister Haggadah, 14th century: Or 2884 (The British Library)
  • Portrait of Margaret of York, c. 1468: Musée du Louvre, RF 1938 17 (©Musée du Louvre)
  • 'And I war a maydyn', 16th century: Add MS 31922 (The British Library)
  • Trousseau or marriage chest of Elizabetta Gonzaga, c. 1488 (©The Victoria & Albert Museum)
  • The Will of Margaret Paston, 1482: Add Roll 17253 (The British Library)

Lansdowne_ms_441_f003r

Indenture between Margaret Beaufort and John Islip, concerning the foundation and support for her chantry; London, England, 1506: Lansdowne MS 441, f. 3r

Public Lives

  • Aldobrandino of Siena, Le Régime du corps; Le livre Ypocrae; medical charms and recipes, 4th quarter of the 15th century: Sloane MS 2401 (The British Library)
  • Bill of sale by Antonio Colona to Angelo Gadi of Florence, selling Marta, an enslaved Russian woman, 1450: Add Ch 15340 (The British Library)
  • Legal decisions of Isaiah di Trani the Elder, written by the scribe Pola of Rome, 1293: Bodleian Library, MS Canonici Or 89 (©The Bodleian Libraries)
  • Christine de Pizan, Le livre des faits d'armes et de chevalerie, 1434: Harley MS 4605 (The British Library)
  • A set of instructions from Margaret III, Dowager Duchess of Burgundy, to her commissioners to make a treaty of commerce with England, 1404: Add Ch 62467 (The British Library)
  • Nicolosa Sanuti, De Ornatu Mulierum, c. 1460: Sloane MS 2377 (The British Library)
  • Le Miroir des Dames (an anonymous French translation of Durand de Champagne's Speculum Dominarum), 1428: Royal MS 19 B XVI (The British Library)
  • Ivory cross of Sibylle of Flanders, before 1163: Musée du Louvre, OA 2593 (©Musée du Louvre)
  • Gold coin of Shajar al-Durr, first female sultan of Egypt, 1250: The British Museum, 1849,1121.294 (© The British Museum)
  • Foundation charter of Bordesley Abbey by Empress Matilda, 1141-1142: Add Ch 75724 (The British Library)
  • Marriage contract between Prince Edward of England and Philippa of Hainault, 1326: Add Ch 77738 (The British Library)
  • Portrait of Lady Margaret Beaufort, by an unknown artist, 16th century: Cambridge, Christi's College, 902 (©Christ's College, Cambridge)
  • Indenture between Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond, and John Islip, Abbot of Westminster Abbey, concerning the foundation and support for her chantry, 1506: Lansdowne MS 441 (The British Library)

Add_ms_40076_f007r_detail

Portrait of St Clare, from the Rules and Privileges of the Poor Clares; Italy, 1446-1448: Add MS 40076, f. 7r

Spiritual Lives

  • Julian of Norwich, The Revelations of Divine Love, 15th century: Add MS 37790 (The British Library)
  • Proceedings of the condemnation trial of Joan of Arc; extracts from Martial d'Auvergne, Les Vigiles du roi Charles VII, 4th quarter of the 15th century: Egerton MS 984 (The British Library)
  • Proceedings of the rehabilitation trial of Joan of Arc, 1455-1456: Stowe MS 84 (The British Library)
  • Rule and Privileges of the Poor Clares, 1446-1448: Add MS 40076 (The British Library)
  • Breviary, 2nd half of the 15th century: Harley MS 2975 (The British Library)
  • Decorated leaf from a Gradual, financed by Sister Ysabela de Gebria: Add MS 35069 (The British Library)
  • Cartulary of Coldstream Priory, 1434: Harley MS 6670 (The British Library)
  • Hildegard of Bingen, Liber divinorum operum, Late 15th century: Add MS 15418 (The British Library)
  • Hildegard of Bingen, Collectio epistolarum and other texts, Early 16th century: Harley MS 1725 (The British Library)
  • The Martyrology of Syon Abbey, 2nd half of the 15th century: Add MS 22285 (The British Library)
  • The Life and Revelations of Birgitta of Sweden, 1st quarter of the 15th century: Cotton MS Claudius B I (The British Library)
  • Birgitta of Sweden, Liber Celestis Revelacionum, with tracts and documents relating to her canonisation, between 1437 and 1457: Harley MS 612 (The British Library)
  • Middle Dutch prayer-book, 1517-1523: Add MS 14042 (The British Library)
  • Embroidered altar band made by Joan of Beverley, 14th century: Victoria & Albert Museum, T.70-1923 (©The Victoria & Albert Museum)

Coin of Shajar al-Durr

A gold coin of Shajar al-Durr, the first female sultan of Egypt: on loan to the Medieval Women exhibition from the British Museum

This exhibition is made possible with support from Joanna and Graham Barker, Unwin Charitable Trust, and Cockayne – Grants for the Arts: a donor advised fund held at the London Community Foundation.

 

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19 October 2024

Countdown to Medieval Women

Our major new exhibition, Medieval Women: In Their Own Words, opens on 25 October 2024. In hot anticipation, here are some ways you can get involved, and a sneak preview of the gallery to whet your appetite.

The entrance to the gallery

Tickets can be purchased in advance here or in person at the British Library, with a large range of concessions available.

The exhibition book, Medieval Women: Voices and Visions, edited by Eleanor Jackson & Julian Harrison, with a foreword by Kate Mosse, can be ordered in advance from the British Library Shop. The perfect birthday or Christmas present! Maybe we can even tempt you to buy our Medieval Women Christmas jumper.

We have an exciting programme of events, starting with Kate Mosse, Here and Now: Meet the Medieval Women, on 29 October (in person and online).

Meanwhile, our Learning team has organised school workshops and tours, and you can find more information about them here.

Eleanor of Castile

Books in the exhibition

IMG_0386

Installing a roll

Medieval seal

Birthing girdle

Mortuary roll

Medieval charter

Talbot Shrewsbury Book

Medieval Women: In Their Own Words runs from 25 October 2024 until 2 March 2025, at St Pancras in London. We'd be delighted to see you there, as we uncover the stories of women from the past, from across Europe, and from all walks of life.

This exhibition is made possible with support from Joanna and Graham Barker, Unwin Charitable Trust, and Cockayne – Grants for the Arts: a donor advised fund held at the London Community Foundation.

 

 

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17 October 2024

Maidens or monsters?

During the Middle Ages, some of the most popular and well-loved stories were about classical women, female saints and heroines of courtly romance.  In a new British Library publication, Maidens or Monsters? Tales of Amazons, Goddesses, Queens & Temptresses in Medieval Manuscripts, Chantry Westwell delves into the stories of these women, exploring their portrayal by medieval authors and illuminators. 

The book is divided into six sections dedicated to female warriors and murderesses, women of virtue and faith, power, and tragedy, as well as enigmatic and allegorical women taken from myth and legend. Their accounts are accompanied by some of the most exquisite examples of medieval art, reproduced from within the pages of manuscripts from the eighth to the 16th centuries, mostly from the British Library’s collections.

The front cover of Maidens of Monsters.

The six sections are as follows: 

I: Warriors, Murderesses and Femmes Fatales

The first section of the book features stories of the legendary Amazon Women led by their Queen Penthesilea, the Colchian witch Medea, who takes her revenge on the Greek hero Jason, Minerva, goddess of war and Salome, who danced for Herod, then asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. 

A group of Amazon Women riding into battle alongside their Queen Penthesilea.

Queen Penthesilea leads the Amazon Women into battle, from Christine de Pizan’s ‘Book of the Queen’ (Paris, c. 1410-c. 1414): Harley MS 4431/1, f. 103v

II: Holy Women

The second section focuses on the lives and stories of holy women, from Mary Magdalene and St Margaret of Antioch, who emerges from a dragon’s belly to St Helena, mother of Constantine the Great and a remarkable group of desert saints known as the Holy Harlots.

A naked St Mary of Egypt is handed a cloak by St Zozima.

St Mary of Egypt is handed a cloak by St Zosima, from in the Theodore Psalter (Constantinople, 1066): Add MS 19352, f. 68r.

III: Powerful Women

Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, Olympias of Macedon, and Candace of Ethiopia are among those featured in this section dedicated to women who wielded real power in their lifetimes but were not always treated fairly by historians and chroniclers, who tended to portray them as manipulative temptresses rather than as skilful politicians or rulers.

The Egyptian Nectanebo disguised as a serpent or dragon seducing Olympias.

The Egyptian Nectanebo disguised as a serpent seducing Olympias, in the Roman d’Alexandre en prose (‘Prose Alexander Romance’), from the Talbot Shrewsbury Book (Rouen, c. 1445): Royal MS 15 E VI, f. 6r

IV: Tragic Heroines

This section looks at women whose stories ended in great tragedy: from the romantic heroine Elvide and the classical Lucretia who both die for their honour, to the Persian Shirin who takes her own life on her husband’s grave, and the story of the Biblical Eve, blamed for the downfall of humanity, exiled from paradise, before experiencing terrible family tragedy.

A miniature of the suicide of Shirin.

The suicide of Shirin at Khusraw’s tomb, in Nizami, Khamsah (India, 1595): Or 12208, f. 102r

V: Partners and Lovers

The women in the fifth section of the book were all partners of famous men, but nonetheless captured the limelight in their stories.  Among them are Camelot’s Guinevere and the legendary Helen of Troy, as well as the Old Testament Delilah, Dante’s Beatrice from the Divine Comedy and Humayun, the Chinese princess of Persian folklore.

Beatrice and Dante before the angels, from a manuscript of the Divine Comedy

Beatrice showing Dante the orders of angels and saints in Dante, Paradiso (Tuscany, c. 1445): Yates Thompson MS 36, f. 180r

VI:  Mystical, Magical and Allegorical Women

The final section looks at the stories of mystical and magical women, from the fairy Melusine, who transforms into a fish, to the mermaids, who lured sailors from their ships, and the divine Sibyls, known for their prophecies, along with other fantastical female characters.

Two sirens swimming beside a ship and luring sailors.

Two Sirens swim beside a ship with sailors who are under their spell, from the Queen Mary Psalter (London, c. 1315): Royal MS 2 B VII, f. 96v

It becomes clear when reading these tales that women were not always treated fairly or in a positive light by medieval historians and storytellers, most of whom were, of course, men. A counter to this was Christine de Pizan (b. 1364, d. c. 1430), a professional author based at the French royal court during the 14th and early 15th centuries, who argued forcefully in her writings for the intellectual and moral equality of women. Her Book of the City of Ladies was an impassioned defence of women, in which she recounted the stories of these heroines, and imagined herself building a metaphorical city from their achievements. It was Christine who provided the inspiration for this book.

The goddess Venus appears before her courtiers, who offer her their hearts.

The goddess Venus presiding over her courtiers, who give her their hearts, from Christine de Pizan’s ‘Book of the Queen’ (Paris, c. 1410-c. 1414): Harley MS 4431/1, f. 100r

Maidens or Monsters? Amazons and Goddesses, Queens and Temptresses in Medieval Legend is available to order now from the British Library Shop.

Chantry Westwell

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04 October 2024

Medieval Women exhibition book available now!

There’s just one month to go until the opening of our new exhibition Medieval Women: In Their Own Words. We can’t wait for visitors to come and explore the rich and complex lives of women in the Middle Ages!

If you can’t wait either, then you might be excited to learn that the exhibition book, Medieval Women: Voices & Visions, is now available for pre-order from the British Library’s online bookshop. All orders will be dispatched after 25 October, the exhibition's opening date.

Photo of the book, entitled 'Medieval Women: Voices and Visions'. The cover image shows a group of nuns taken from a medieval manuscript

Drawing on the exhibition items, the book takes a deeper dive into the lives and times of women in Europe in the period of roughly 1100–1500. It begins with a preface by International bestselling author and British Library board member Kate Mosse, followed by an introduction by the exhibition’s lead curator, Eleanor Jackson. The book contains nine chapters exploring over-arching themes, and forty-three short ‘spotlights’ that shine a light on particular women, events and issues, all written by experts in the field.

The volume is divided into four main sections reflecting women’s contributions right across medieval society: ‘Private Lives’, exploring women’s bodies, health, households and family life; ‘Public Lives’, focusing on women’s power and political involvement; ‘Working Lives’, revealing women’s work and creativity; and ‘Spiritual Lives’, uncovering women’s experiences as visionaries, heretics, and in religious communities. It tells the stories of a wide variety of women: from queens to peasants, nuns to sex-workers, physicians to artists.

Contents page of the book, with chapters on 'Private Lives', 'Public Lives', 'Working Lives' and 'Spiritual Lives'

Sumptuously illustrated, the book is a feast for the eyes. There are images of most of the items on display in the exhibition, and many more!

One of the spreads in the book, showing illustrations of an illuminated manuscript and a charter

You can pre-order your copy of the Medieval Women exhibition book now on the British Library website.

The exhibition Medieval Women: In Their Own Words is open at the British Library from 25 October 2024 to 2 March 2025. You can pre-book your tickets online now.

This exhibition is made possible with support from Joanna and Graham Barker, Unwin Charitable Trust, and Cockayne – Grants for the Arts: a donor advised fund held at the London Community Foundation.

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03 October 2024

Our first 1000 digitised manuscripts return

Following the cyber-attack on the British Library last year, staff have been working behind the scenes to restore access to the Library’s digitised manuscripts. The Library has now made an initial batch of 1,000 digitised items available online, of which over 600 are ancient, medieval and early modern manuscripts.

A full list of the items, with links to their digitised images and summary catalogue information, can be consulted on the British Library website. Improvements to the discoverability of the manuscripts will be made in due course.

A lavishly illuminated page for Easter Sunday from the Sherborne Missal.

The page for Easter Sunday in the Sherborne Missal: Add MS 74236, p. 216

A highlight is the Sherborne Missal (Add MS 74236), a service book containing all the texts required for celebrating Mass on the different feasts, holidays and saints’ days throughout the year. Made for the Benedictine abbey of St Mary in Sherborne, Dorset, the manuscript has been called one of the masterpieces of 15th-century English illumination, with decoration on nearly all of its 694 pages. You can read more about the manuscript in our previous blogpost and listen to a guided tour and discussion of the page for Easter Sunday as part of the BBC’s Moving Picture Series.  

Illustrations of a phoenix rising from the ashes, from an illuminated medieval bestiary.

A phoenix rising from the ashes, from an illuminated Bestiary: Harley MS 4751, f. 65r

The selection also includes all 400 manuscripts digitised as part of The Polonsky Foundation England and France Project, a ground-breaking collaborative project between the British Library and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The manuscripts, made in England and France between the years 700 to 1200, comprise a wide range of texts and topics, including biblical, liturgical and theological works, science, music and medicine, Classical and contemporary literature and works on history and law. Among them are a lavishly-illuminated Bestiary (Harley MS 4751), with illustrated accounts of birds, beasts and fantastical creatures, and the Eadui Psalter (Arundel MS 155), a copy of the Book of Psalms, written by a scribe called Eadui Basan at Christ Church, Canterbury in the early 11th century, with a partial gloss in Old English.

A Beatus page with frames in colours and gold, from the Eadui Psalter.

The Beatus page of the Eadui Psalter, showing the opening of Psalm 1: Arundel MS 155, f. 12r

There are also a number of manuscripts containing significant works of Middle English literature. They include the ‘Amherst Manuscript’ (Add MS 37790), a Carthusian anthology of theological material containing the only surviving medieval copy of the Short Text of The Revelations of Divine Love by the anchoress Julian of Norwich. This work is an account of the 16 mystical visions Julian experienced in her early 30s, and the earliest surviving example of a book in the English language known to have been written by a woman.

A text page from an anthology of Middle English religious works, showing Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love.

The Short Text of Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love: Add MS 37790, f. 98v

As further digitised manuscripts become available online, we will post updates about them on the Medieval Manuscripts blog. Browse a list of all currently available digitised manuscripts here

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25 September 2024

Medieval Women: 1 Month to Go!

There’s only one month to go before our major exhibition Medieval Women: In Their Own Words opens. Running from 25 October 2024 to 2 March 2025, this exhibition tells the history of medieval women through their own words and uncovers their lives through manuscripts, documents and precious artefacts. Tickets for the exhibition are already on sale

As opening day approaches, we thought we would reveal a few more of the incredible items that are going to be on display.

The Psalter of Melisende, Queen of Jerusalem

An illustration of the Presentation in the Temple painted in colours and gold.

The Presentation in the Temple, from the ‘Melisende Psalter’; Jerusalem, 1131–43: Egerton MS 1139, f. 3r

From Margaret of Anjou to Empress Matilda, you will hear the stories of many medieval queens, their lives, words and achievements in the course of the exhibition. They include Melisende (d. 1161), ruler of the Crusader state of Jerusalem in the mid-12th-century. Jointly reigning with her husband, Fulk of Anjou, and then her son Baldwin III, Melisende was responsible for much of the kingdom’s day-to-day governance. She was also a renowned patron of the Church and the arts, founding schools devoted to bookmaking and miniature painting. A precious survival from her reign is her Psalter (Book of Psalms), a personal prayer-book that was probably commissioned for her and features exquisite illuminations and writing in gold.

Birth Girdle

A parchment roll partially unfurled, showing prayers and image-based talismans.

Medieval birth girdle, featuring the Three Nails from the Crucifixion, illustrations of Christ’s Side Wound, and other textual and image-based talismans; England, 15th century: Harley Roll T 11

A detail showing a life-size representation of Christ's Side Wound, painted in red.

A life-size representation of Christ’s Side Wound, from a medieval English birth girdle: Harley Roll T 11

Among the exhibits devoted to the subject of women’s health is one of only nine surviving medieval English birth girdles. These parchment waist belts were produced commercially as amulets, offering protection against a number of different hazards and ailments, but particularly childbirth. This 15th-century birth girdle is covered with a variety of prayers, charms and other textual and illustrative talismans, including an image of the three nails used during the Crucifixion and a life-sized representation (‘measure’) of Christ’s side-wound.

Hildegard of Bingen’s Ordo Virtutum

A page from Hildegard of Bingen's Ordo Virtutum, showing a musical piece arranged on a four-line stave.

Hildegard of Bingen’s proto-opera, Ordo virtutum (‘Play of the Virtues’); Sponheim, 1487: Add MS 15102, f. 219v

The exhibition will also introduce a number of women who embraced a spiritual calling and found purpose as part of religious communities. A foremost example is Hildegard of Bingen (d. 1179). Sent to live in the Benedictine nunnery of Disibodenberg in Germany when she was 8 years old, Hildegard later founded and became abbess of the nunnery of Rupertsberg. In the course of her life, Hildegard had many achievements and roles. She was a polymath, a visionary and prophet, who went on multiple extended preaching tours, even in her 60s and 70s; she was also an author, a prolific letter-writer, and the beloved leader of her religious community. One of her many compositions is a musical play, or proto-opera, the Ordo virtutum (Play of the Virtues), which tells the story of the struggle for a human soul between personifications of the virtues and the Devil, and was intended to be sung by nuns.

The Luttrell Psalter

A bas-de-page scene showing female labourers gathering in the harvest.

Female labourers bringing in the harvest and reaping barley with sickles, from the ‘Luttrell Psalter’; Lincolnshire, 1325–40: Add MS 42130, f. 172v

The exhibition will also highlight the variety of working roles women played at all levels of medieval society, from rural communities to royal courts. The Luttrell Psalter is one of the masterpieces of medieval English art, an illuminated copy of the Book of Psalms commissioned by the landowner Sir Geoffrey Luttrell (d. 1345), lord of Irnham in Lincolnshire. Its marginal illustrations are known for their fantastical menagerie of hybrid creatures and grotesques, but they also include depictions of arable farming and labourers, artisans, and craftspeople at work, many featuring women prominently. On this page, three female farmworkers reap and gather barley with sickles. In the background, one of the labourers stands and stretches to ease her aching back, her sickle balanced on her shoulder.

The Lais and Fables of Marie de France

An opening from a medieval manuscript of the works of Marie de France, showing her lai Bisclavret.

An opening from Marie’s ‘Bisclavret’, the story of a werewolf trapped in lupine form, from a collection of her Fables and Lais; England, 13th century: Harley MS 978, ff. 66v–67r. 

Alongside Christine de Pizan’s ‘Book of the Queen’ and The Book of Margery Kempe, one of the exhibition’s most important literary manuscripts contains the work of Marie de France (active around the 1180s), one of the first recorded female authors in Europe. Few details of Marie’s identity are now known to us, though she was probably based in England, since she wrote in Anglo-Norman, a dialect of French spoken by the ruling class in England after the Norman Conquest. This manuscript is the only medieval copy to record all twelve of Marie’s Lais, a set of narrative poems notable for their celebration of courtly love, and featuring such memorable characters as the werewolf Bisclavret, the abandoned girl Le Fresne, and the knights Milun, Guigemar and Lanval.

A detail from the end of Marie's Bisclavret, in which she states her name and origin.

Marie ai nun, si sui de France (Marie is my name and I am from France): Marie naming herself at the end of the lai ‘Bisclavret’; Harley MS 978, f. 67r

Medieval Women: In Their Own Words is on show at the British Library from 25 October 2024 to 2 March 2025. You can pre-book your tickets online now. 

This exhibition is made possible with support from Joanna and Graham Barker, Unwin Charitable Trust, and Cockayne – Grants for the Arts: a donor advised fund held at the London Community Foundation.

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