Anglo-Irish and Gaelic women in Ireland c. 1277-1534 : a study of the conditions and rights of single women, wives, widows and nuns in late medieval Ireland

Abstract

This thesis is a study of how women's legal, economic, social and political rights were profoundly affected by their marital state. The aim is firstly to provide a coherent picture of the lives of women in medieval Ireland through an examination of their marital circumstances. By comparing and contrasting the differing lives of Anglo-Irish and Gaelic singlewomen, wives, widows and nuns of late medieval Ireland from 1277 to c. 1534, the objective is also to consider how their functions and roles in society were affected by the differing rights enjoyed and restrictions imposed by their societies as well as the effect that the influence of the Church had on them. The emphasis will be on women living under the common law, but reference will also be made to women subject to the Gaelic law codes in an attempt to highlight the diverse situations concerning women in Ireland and how these differing codes impacted on them.