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Henry I's Concubines

Henry I's Concubines Chapter 2 Henry I's Concubines University of the Ozarks "Nor are [women] ever wanting in efforts to establish their power over the men in a variety of ways."1 This statement by Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerald of Wales) expresses a view of women common in the high Middle Ages. Giraldus had both a professional and personal interest in criticizing women and men whose behavior failed to meet rigorous moral standards set by the Church. A vigorous polemicist, Giraldus was outspoken against the sexual abuses practiced by clerics and the laity, a preoccupation that may owe something to his grandmother, a woman notorious in her time for sexual exploits. It is his grandmother Nest who played a principal role in establishing a network of supporters for Henry I of England, one that well illustrates what Giraldus calls women's "efforts to establish their power...in a variety of ways." Gerald and other ecclesiastics considered Nest a degenerate woman because of her notorious behavior with many men including Henry himself. But her exploits and those of Henry's other intimate women intertwine to suggest the existence of a supportive family network in early twelfth century England. This network reached its apex of dominance during Henry's http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Essays in Medieval Studies West Virginia University Press

Henry I's Concubines

Meredith, Gwenn
Essays in Medieval Studies , Volume 19 (1) – Mar 17, 2003
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Publisher
West Virginia University Press
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 Illinois Medieval Association.
ISSN
1538-4608
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Abstract

Chapter 2 Henry I's Concubines University of the Ozarks "Nor are [women] ever wanting in efforts to establish their power over the men in a variety of ways."1 This statement by Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerald of Wales) expresses a view of women common in the high Middle Ages. Giraldus had both a professional and personal interest in criticizing women and men whose behavior failed to meet rigorous moral standards set by the Church. A vigorous polemicist, Giraldus was outspoken against the sexual abuses practiced by clerics and the laity, a preoccupation that may owe something to his grandmother, a woman notorious in her time for sexual exploits. It is his grandmother Nest who played a principal role in establishing a network of supporters for Henry I of England, one that well illustrates what Giraldus calls women's "efforts to establish their power...in a variety of ways." Gerald and other ecclesiastics considered Nest a degenerate woman because of her notorious behavior with many men including Henry himself. But her exploits and those of Henry's other intimate women intertwine to suggest the existence of a supportive family network in early twelfth century England. This network reached its apex of dominance during Henry's

Journal

Essays in Medieval Studies – West Virginia University Press

Published: Mar 17, 2003

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