Women played active role in Medieval church

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I was never much of a history buff in school, but I’ve since come to appreciate the work of historians and their efforts to reveal the realities of the past – especially when they shine a light on the present.

One such example came last week in a story on women in the Medieval church. The topic may bring to mind extreme examples, such as the life of a cloistered nun or a free-spirited hero like Joan of Arc, but the reality is more complicated. Vatican archival documents show women were key fixtures in the background of the papal court when it was seated in Avignon during much of the 14th century, writes Joelle Rollo-Koster, a professor of medieval history at the University of Rhode Island.

Just like a good investigative journalist, Rollo-Koster “followed the money” and found evidence of many women appearing in a variety of roles on the papal payroll. In the surrounding city, meanwhile, they were selling fruit and cutting stone. There are even records of women sword-makers, carpenters, tavern-keepers and, she adds, prostitutes − a profession the church taxed for a time.

While the church may not have seen women as equals, Rollo-Koster’s story – one of last week’s most popular – shows just how integral they were to the workings and finances of the papacy.

Butchers, bakers, candlestick-makers − and prostitutes: The women working behind the scenes in papal Avignon

Joelle Rollo-Koster, University of Rhode Island

Women’s work may not have been glamorous, but it was vital to the workings of the pope’s court and surrounding city.

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