The Fourth Estate: A History of Women in the Middle Ages

By Shulamith Shahar

Book Overview

Did women really constitute a fourth estate' in medieval society and, if so, in what sense? In this wide-ranging study Shulamith Shahar considers this and the whole question of the varying attitudes to women and their status in western Europe between the twelfth and the fifteenth centuries.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0416368107
• ISBN13: 9780416368109
• Release Date: January 1983
• Publisher: Methuen Publishing
• Length: 351 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Good but not great

This book serves as a nice introduction but suffers a bit from being dated -- there is a lot more stuff "out there" than there was a decade ago. It also presents a more static picture of the medieval millenium than could be desired. Nevertheless, it can't be beat for an introductory survey -- particularly if you can get a used copy!