MedievalWomenSpeak
@medievalwomenspeak.bsky.social
Medievalist, PhD'ing at Cambridge. Chaucer, gender, trauma. Bringing the voices of medieval women forward.
For when you see in the southern sky an image, beautiful and wonderful in the mystery of God, like a human in form, this is because Divine Love is beautiful because of her election in the strength of unfailing divinity... and thus Divine Love reveals humankind.
St. Hildegard of Bingen, b. 1098
St. Hildegard of Bingen, b. 1098
November 13, 2025 at 11:16 AM
For when you see in the southern sky an image, beautiful and wonderful in the mystery of God, like a human in form, this is because Divine Love is beautiful because of her election in the strength of unfailing divinity... and thus Divine Love reveals humankind.
St. Hildegard of Bingen, b. 1098
St. Hildegard of Bingen, b. 1098
Hildegard of Bingen!
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/a...
Review: Hildegard of Bingen’s Extraordinary Life, on Operatic Scale
www.nytimes.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Hildegard of Bingen!
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/a...
If you want me to give you examples of male inconstancy from the past, since men persist in attacking women for this failing, just look at the behaviour of the most powerful princes and the most eminent men, in whom these are more dangerous faults than in others.
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
November 2, 2025 at 10:39 AM
If you want me to give you examples of male inconstancy from the past, since men persist in attacking women for this failing, just look at the behaviour of the most powerful princes and the most eminent men, in whom these are more dangerous faults than in others.
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
With this same expression of joy he looked down on his right side and said, ‘Would you like to see her?’ as if he had said with sweetness, ‘I well know you would like to see my blessed mother, for after myself she is the highest joy, the greatest delight and honour to me.’
Julian of Norwich, b. 1342
Julian of Norwich, b. 1342
October 13, 2025 at 11:54 AM
With this same expression of joy he looked down on his right side and said, ‘Would you like to see her?’ as if he had said with sweetness, ‘I well know you would like to see my blessed mother, for after myself she is the highest joy, the greatest delight and honour to me.’
Julian of Norwich, b. 1342
Julian of Norwich, b. 1342
I have discovered that women are more than capable of undertaking any task which requires physical strength or of learning any discipline which requires discernment and intelligence. Books which say otherwise were definitely not written by women.
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
October 10, 2025 at 2:28 PM
I have discovered that women are more than capable of undertaking any task which requires physical strength or of learning any discipline which requires discernment and intelligence. Books which say otherwise were definitely not written by women.
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/w...
First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
www.nytimes.com
October 3, 2025 at 9:41 AM
First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/w...
Reason replied, “Believe me, many crucial and worthy arts and sciences have been discovered thanks to the ingenuity and cleverness of women, both in the theoretical sciences expressed through the written word, and in the technical crafts.”
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
September 24, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Reason replied, “Believe me, many crucial and worthy arts and sciences have been discovered thanks to the ingenuity and cleverness of women, both in the theoretical sciences expressed through the written word, and in the technical crafts.”
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
She had such great compassion to see our Lord’s pain that she could not keep herself from crying and roaring though she should have died for it.This kind of crying lasted for many years and she suffered much contempt and much reproof for it. The crying was so loud and so amazing it astounded people.
September 24, 2025 at 8:26 PM
She had such great compassion to see our Lord’s pain that she could not keep herself from crying and roaring though she should have died for it.This kind of crying lasted for many years and she suffered much contempt and much reproof for it. The crying was so loud and so amazing it astounded people.
So, cry cry, beat your hands and cry – as once the sad Argia did, along with the ladies of Argos – you ladies, damsels, and women of the kingdom of France! Because the swords that will make you widows and deprive you of your children and kin have already been sharpened.
Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
August 4, 2025 at 2:45 PM
So, cry cry, beat your hands and cry – as once the sad Argia did, along with the ladies of Argos – you ladies, damsels, and women of the kingdom of France! Because the swords that will make you widows and deprive you of your children and kin have already been sharpened.
Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
Alone am I and alone I wish to be,
Alone my gentle friend has left me,
Alone am I, with no companion,
Alone am I, in bitterness and in pain,
Alone am I in tormented lamentation,
Alone am I much more than any wandering soul,
Alone am I and without a friend remain
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
Alone my gentle friend has left me,
Alone am I, with no companion,
Alone am I, in bitterness and in pain,
Alone am I in tormented lamentation,
Alone am I much more than any wandering soul,
Alone am I and without a friend remain
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
July 29, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Alone am I and alone I wish to be,
Alone my gentle friend has left me,
Alone am I, with no companion,
Alone am I, in bitterness and in pain,
Alone am I in tormented lamentation,
Alone am I much more than any wandering soul,
Alone am I and without a friend remain
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
Alone my gentle friend has left me,
Alone am I, with no companion,
Alone am I, in bitterness and in pain,
Alone am I in tormented lamentation,
Alone am I much more than any wandering soul,
Alone am I and without a friend remain
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
‘You have suffered much shame and reproof, and therefore you shall have very much bliss in heaven. Daughter, do not be ashamed to receive my grace... you shall be received into heaven with me everlastingly as my beloved darling, as my blessed spouse, and as my holy wife.’
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
July 20, 2025 at 5:02 PM
‘You have suffered much shame and reproof, and therefore you shall have very much bliss in heaven. Daughter, do not be ashamed to receive my grace... you shall be received into heaven with me everlastingly as my beloved darling, as my blessed spouse, and as my holy wife.’
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
A 900-Year-Old Typo May Unravel a Chaucer Mystery www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/w...
A 900-Year-Old Typo May Unravel a Chaucer Mystery
www.nytimes.com
July 16, 2025 at 1:28 AM
A 900-Year-Old Typo May Unravel a Chaucer Mystery www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/w...
And she was many times ill while this treatise was being written, and, as soon as she would set about the writing of this treatise, then in a sudden way she was hale and healthy.
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
July 11, 2025 at 9:41 AM
And she was many times ill while this treatise was being written, and, as soon as she would set about the writing of this treatise, then in a sudden way she was hale and healthy.
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
Reposted by MedievalWomenSpeak
After her child was born, and not believing she would live, she sent for her confessor. When she came to the point of saying that thing which she had so long concealed, her confessor was too hasty and began sharply to reprove her, and so she would say no more.
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
July 9, 2025 at 11:54 AM
After her child was born, and not believing she would live, she sent for her confessor. When she came to the point of saying that thing which she had so long concealed, her confessor was too hasty and began sharply to reprove her, and so she would say no more.
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
After her child was born, and not believing she would live, she sent for her confessor. When she came to the point of saying that thing which she had so long concealed, her confessor was too hasty and began sharply to reprove her, and so she would say no more.
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
July 9, 2025 at 11:54 AM
After her child was born, and not believing she would live, she sent for her confessor. When she came to the point of saying that thing which she had so long concealed, her confessor was too hasty and began sharply to reprove her, and so she would say no more.
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
Our Lord revealed the devil’s enmity, and from this I understand that everything contrary to love is from the devil. If our enemy gains anything from us by our falling—for in that we resemble him—he loses many times more from our rising through love and humility.
Julian of Norwich, b. 1342
Julian of Norwich, b. 1342
July 1, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Our Lord revealed the devil’s enmity, and from this I understand that everything contrary to love is from the devil. If our enemy gains anything from us by our falling—for in that we resemble him—he loses many times more from our rising through love and humility.
Julian of Norwich, b. 1342
Julian of Norwich, b. 1342
‘You can it from me that any man who slanders the female sex does so because he has an evil mind, since he’s going against both reason and nature. Against reason, because he is lacking in gratitude. Against nature, in that even the birds and beasts love their mate.'
Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
June 27, 2025 at 10:00 AM
‘You can it from me that any man who slanders the female sex does so because he has an evil mind, since he’s going against both reason and nature. Against reason, because he is lacking in gratitude. Against nature, in that even the birds and beasts love their mate.'
Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
Reason replied: ‘Note too that good judgement does not come from learning, though learning can help perfect it… in my opinion, anyone who has naturally good judgement or good sense and who also manages to attain learning is thoroughly deserving of praise.’
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
June 6, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Reason replied: ‘Note too that good judgement does not come from learning, though learning can help perfect it… in my opinion, anyone who has naturally good judgement or good sense and who also manages to attain learning is thoroughly deserving of praise.’
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
- Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
‘And therefore, do not be afraid, daughter, though people wonder why you weep so bitterly when you receive me, for, if they knew what grace I place in you at that time, they should rather wonder that your heart does not burst asunder.'
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
May 27, 2025 at 3:04 PM
‘And therefore, do not be afraid, daughter, though people wonder why you weep so bitterly when you receive me, for, if they knew what grace I place in you at that time, they should rather wonder that your heart does not burst asunder.'
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
Margery Kempe, born c. 1373
But she was greatly troubled by one thing:
Each week she lost him
For three whole days
Many times she asked him
He hid nothing from her.
“Lady, I become a werewolf
I go into that great forest,
To the deepest part of the woods,
And live on prey and plunder.”
Bisclavret, Marie de France, b. c. 1140
Each week she lost him
For three whole days
Many times she asked him
He hid nothing from her.
“Lady, I become a werewolf
I go into that great forest,
To the deepest part of the woods,
And live on prey and plunder.”
Bisclavret, Marie de France, b. c. 1140
May 18, 2025 at 10:40 AM
But she was greatly troubled by one thing:
Each week she lost him
For three whole days
Many times she asked him
He hid nothing from her.
“Lady, I become a werewolf
I go into that great forest,
To the deepest part of the woods,
And live on prey and plunder.”
Bisclavret, Marie de France, b. c. 1140
Each week she lost him
For three whole days
Many times she asked him
He hid nothing from her.
“Lady, I become a werewolf
I go into that great forest,
To the deepest part of the woods,
And live on prey and plunder.”
Bisclavret, Marie de France, b. c. 1140
That I love you passionately comes from my nature, for I am love itself. That I love you often comes from my desire, for I desire to be loved passionately. That I love you long comes from my being eternal, for I am without an end and without a beginning.
Mechthild of Magdeburg, born c. 1207
Mechthild of Magdeburg, born c. 1207
May 17, 2025 at 11:15 AM
That I love you passionately comes from my nature, for I am love itself. That I love you often comes from my desire, for I desire to be loved passionately. That I love you long comes from my being eternal, for I am without an end and without a beginning.
Mechthild of Magdeburg, born c. 1207
Mechthild of Magdeburg, born c. 1207
This fair lovely word ‘mother’ is so sweet and so kind in itself that it cannot truly be said of anyone except of him who is the true mother of life and of all things. The kind, loving mother who knows and recognizes the needs of her child protects it very tenderly.
Julian of Norwich, b. 1342
Julian of Norwich, b. 1342
May 11, 2025 at 1:22 PM
This fair lovely word ‘mother’ is so sweet and so kind in itself that it cannot truly be said of anyone except of him who is the true mother of life and of all things. The kind, loving mother who knows and recognizes the needs of her child protects it very tenderly.
Julian of Norwich, b. 1342
Julian of Norwich, b. 1342
Those men who have attacked women because of their own bodily impediments, such as impotence or a deformed limb, are all bitter and twisted in the mind. The only pleasure they have to compensate for their incapacity is to slander the female sex.
The City of Ladies
Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
The City of Ladies
Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
May 6, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Those men who have attacked women because of their own bodily impediments, such as impotence or a deformed limb, are all bitter and twisted in the mind. The only pleasure they have to compensate for their incapacity is to slander the female sex.
The City of Ladies
Christine de Pizan, b. 1365
The City of Ladies
Christine de Pizan, b. 1365