Constance of France: Womanhood and Agency in Twelfth-Century Europe is a biography of Constance of France, sister of King Louis VII of France. Myra Bom recovers Constance’s life story and puts it in its medieval context by examining the historical evidence of chronicles, charters, seal imprints and letters. The countess’s long and interesting life makes for women’s history with a large geographical scope, including France, England, Toulouse and the Latin East. It touches on many aspects of life during the Middle Ages such as birth, marriage and divorce, gender roles, experience of time, and expectation for the afterlife. Bom demonstrates how and to what extent medieval women could, and did, take control of their own lives. This book is an account of the interplay of historical context and agency.
Author(s): Myra Miranda Bom
Series: The New Middle Ages
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 327
City: Cham
Acknowledgements
Book Abstract
Contents
About the Author
Abbreviations
List of Figures
Chapter 1: Introduction
Bibliography and Theory
The Evidence
The Chapters
Chapter 2: Born a Royal Daughter
A Girl Is Born
Birth
The Capetian Family
Honour
Chapter 3: The Politics of Marriage (I): England
Marriage in Theory
Marriage in Practice
Politics at Play
England, 1140–1152
Conclusion
Chapter 4: Female Role Models
The Women in Constance’s Circle
Wife and Domina
Mother
Daughter of the Church
Legacy
Chapter 5: Politics of Marriage (II): Toulouse
The Politics of Divorce
Count Raymond V of Toulouse’s Advantage
The Siege of Toulouse, 1159
Conclusion
Chapter 6: Countess of Toulouse
The Charters
The Letters
Titles and Seals
The Council of Lombers
Conclusion
Chapter 7: Separation in Marriage
Leaving the Count
Papal Objection
Claiming Boulogne
Baldwin the Bastard?
Conclusion
Chapter 8: To Jerusalem
Pilgrimage and Crusade
Bethduras
The Hospitallers
Going Home
Conclusion
Chapter 9: Care for the Soul
Religious Motivation
Constance’s Donations Before 1165
Donations After 1165
Conclusion
Chapter 10: Conclusion
Appendix A: Unpublished Charters
No. 1. Paris, Archives Nationales, S 2139, No. 17
No. 2. Paris, Archives Nationales, S 4440, No. 1
Appendix B: Simplified Genealogical Table
Capetian Family
Boulogne Family
Toulouse Family
Bibliography
Archives, Manuscripts and Objects
Printed Primary Sources
Secondary Works
Index
