Medieval Women

Parliamo di donne velate e subito pensiamo allo hijab o agli altri tipi di copertura del capo, o del volto, o dell'intero corpo della donna che sono in uso nel mondo islamico e che, non senza originare polemiche, molte islamiche indossano anche nei paesi occidentali. Ma la prescrizione alle donne di coprirsi il capo appartiene in pieno anche alla storia dell'Occidente.

Anche nel Medioevo troviamo donne disposte a vendere il proprio corpo "pro pretio, lucro et questu": condannata e ritenuta una vergogna, la prostituzione era però considerata ineliminabile e persino necessaria. Giustificabile, perché salvava da mali peggiori come la corruzione delle vergini e delle spose e "l'abominevole vizio della sodomia". Ma qual era la posizione della Chiesa e dei pubblici poteri nel regolare questo fenomeno divenuto assai rilevante? Nel Trecento, infatti, si assiste ovunque in Europa al proliferare dei postriboli, a volte quasi piccole fortezze del piacere.

In an Ancient Rome that never was, Empress Beatriz is surrounded by loyal subjects and the emperor, who cherishes her above all else. Due to one man’s lust and greed, she must fight, alone, for her dignity—and her life. The primeval tale of the valiant empress has been adapted from Cantiga 5 of the thirteenth-century Spanish Cantigas de Santa Maria. Though this volume stands alone, it is also a companion to the ten short stories in Our Lady’s Troubadour (Encircle Publications, 2021). Between fantasy and history, this thrilling novella takes us on an imaginary tour of the ancient ...

If you will be a great man's mistress, you must pay the price.... The Savoy, 1372. Widow Lady Katherine Swynford presents herself for a role in the household of merciless royal prince John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, hoping to end her destitution. But the Duke's scandalous proposition leaves her life of pious integrity reeling.... Seduced by the glare of royal adoration, Katherine becomes John's mistress. She will leave behind everything she has stood for to play second fiddle to his young wife and ruthless ambition.

A silent princess, a captive king, four realms at war.... Princess Katherine knows her hand has been given to sinister King Philip, but when she learns he's taken the ruler of a neighboring kingdom captive, she's compelled to discover King Matthew's location and set him free before it's too late. However, with Matthew's brother King Caleb closing in on Philip's borders, Philip threatens to end Matthew. Katherine is running out of time. Saving Matthew without being able to speak proves complicated, especially when another woman assumes Katherine's identity, and the princess finds herself in ...

La guerra non è faccenda da donne, eppure nel sanguinoso scacchiere dell’Italia del Quattrocento può accadere di tutto, anche che una fanciulla venga addestrata a combattere come un uomo. Il suo nome è Bona Lombardi, ma fra i mercenari della Banda Rossa agli ordini del generale Francesco Sforza tutti la conoscono con il nome di Gabrio. Cuore puro e occhi verdi come pietre di fiume, nel suo sangue scorre la ribellione: contro il destino che spetta alle donne, contro i soprusi degli uomini, contro chi ti attende nell’ombra per strapparti la vita o la dignità.

Le forme di violenza esercitate nel Medioevo contro le donne compongono un catalogo impressionante: percosse in nome del diritto del marito a "correggere" la moglie, del padre a costringere e punire la figlia, del padrone a battere la serva; ingiurie connesse al comportamento femminile; stupri, segregazioni, omicidi in nome dell'onore tradito; spoliazione di beni, a partire dalle eredità e dalle doti; matrimoni e monacazioni forzate; manipolazione delle coscienze e violenze inquisitoriali; maltrattamenti, prevaricazione e discriminazione nel mondo del lavoro.

An innocent pawn. A kingdom without a King. A new dynasty will reign.... It's 1415. The jewel in the French crown, Katherine de Valois, is waiting under lock and key for King Henry V. While he's been slaughtering her kinsmen in Agincourt, Katherine has been praying for marriage to save her from her misery. But the brutal King wants her crown, not her innocent love. For Katherine, England is a lion's den of greed, avarice and mistrust. And when Katherine is widowed at 21, she is a prize ripe for the taking.

Nel Medioevo le donne vivevano in una rigida sottomissione. Non assecondare la volontà della famiglia, non ubbidire agli uomini, padri, mariti o padroni, manifestare indipendenza di giudizio o di comportamento facevano di loro delle ribelli. Ma non sono mancate sante, regine, badesse, semplici monache, umili contadine, serve, schiave, eretiche, streghe, prostitute che hanno scelto di sottrarsi a destini segnati, resistendo, opponendosi, fuggendo. Donne decise a viaggiare, conoscere, insegnare, lavorare, combattere, predicare.

Il primo atto della trilogia degli Uzeda. L'aristocrazia siciliana del IX secolo vissuta attraverso Teresa, la Madame Bovary italiana.

Venezia, 1327. Giulia Bondimier è l'unica erede di un'illustre famiglia patrizia della Venezia del Quattordicesimo secolo. La sua relazione con il giovane Samuel Macalia, setaiolo ebreo, è intensa e passionale, ma anche impossibile. Quando Giulia rimane incinta, deve cambiare vita e rinunciare al frutto della sua colpa. Un destino simile a quello di Nicoleta, figlia di un umile carpentiere e vittima di uno stupro, costretta a privarsi della creatura che porta in grembo. Giulia viene costretta alla vita monastica, in una Venezia trasformatasi per lei in una prigione.

Als Nachfahre der mächtigen Söhne des MacAlpin weigert sich Iain MacKinnon, sich der englischen Krone zu beugen. Doch als sein kleiner Sohn entführt wird, schwört der standhafte schottische Clanführer, nicht eher zu ruhen, bis er die Rückkehr seines Sohnes sichergestellt hat. Im Gegenzug raubt er die Tochter seines Feindes, um sich auf einen Handel mit dem Teufel einzulassen.

Ein mystischer Kriminalroman aus dem Mittelalter. Schiltach im Schwarzwald, 1344. Im Städtle geht der Teufel um. Das glauben zumindest die Bewohner, nachdem an der Kinzig eine junge Magd ermordet aufgefunden wurde. Als im Gasthaus "Hirschen" jede Nacht unheimliche Geräusche zu hören sind und eine weiße Gestalt gesichtet wird, die scheinbar durch Wände gehen kann, bricht Panik aus. Wird sich der Dämon weitere Opfer holen? Kräutersammlerin Johanna und Flößer Lukas versuchen die Wahrheit zu ergründen.

Arabella Cameron is filled with dread. But if marrying a man she doesn't love will end the feud between the Cameron and Mackintosh clans, she will do her duty. That is until outlaw Brodie Mackintosh arrives and steals her away. Brodie knows Arabella has every reason to hate him, but a forbidden kiss soon makes these enemies question everything. When Arabella's intended reclaims her, Brodie must fight for her.

After the death of his mother, young Alwin of Whittaker leaves the only home he has ever known to seek answers about his unknown father through a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. On the journey, Alwin falls in with a band of violent and marauding soldiers and is witness to their terrible crimes. When Alwin later joins up with a group of pilgrims, he must hide his identity...but he is not the only one with secrets to keep. Rosamund, a young woman travelling the same path, has much to conceal too.

1431 is a dangerous time for a woman to be defiant. England has been fighting France for 100 years. At home, power-hungry men within a corrupt government manipulate a weak king - and name Cecily's husband, York's loyal duke, an enemy. As the king's grasp on sanity weakens, plots to destroy York take root. It will take all of Cecily's courage and cunning to save her family. But when the will to survive becomes ambition for a crown, will she risk treason to secure it?

'I was a penniless, landless petitioner, my Neville blood a curse, my future dependent on the charity of those who despised me....' Anne Neville is the heiress and daughter of the greatest powerbroker in the land, Warwick the Kingmaker. Trapped in a deadly tangle of political intrigue, she is a pawn in an uncertain game, used by the houses of Neville, York and Lancaster alike. In England's glittering, treacherous court, not all wish to see the Nevilles raised high.

1310, Berwick-upon-Tweed, England – Edward II knights Frederick Kohl for his bravery fighting the Scots. But Sir Frederick is not the man the king believes him to be; instead, it is his sister, Christina, who assumes her dead brother’s identity and receives his spurs. Still posing as Frederick, Christina escorts Lady Cecily, a young noblewoman joining Queen Isabella’s court at Westminster Palace, to London. Unexpectedly, Christina and Cecily fall in love. Their joy is short-lived, as their future together is seemingly impossible. The wife of one of the wealthiest and most influential ...

Light, dramatic short story free from myth and magic. Asabelle had only known slavery her whole life until the day she received a servant's role with high spirits for a benevolent royal family. Being so close to fulfilling her wildest dreams, Asabelle discovers a moment where she can either gain or lose everything with her words. Will she take the chance? What would you do? Reveal Asabelle's fate by adding her tale now! *Story included in Specks of Shadows, Flecks of Light

An original recording of one of Oscar Wilde's comedic classics and a precise satire of Britain's upper classes. At a gathering at Hunstanton Chase, the young Gerald Arbuthnot has been given a rare opportunity to make something of himself by the cavalier Lord Illingworth, but a chance meeting between his mother Mrs. Arbuthnot and Lord Illingworth reveals that there's more behind the offer than Gerald knows.