, ▁not ▁through ▁the ▁favour ▁of ▁the ▁king . ▁Property ▁and ▁wealth ▁became ▁increasing ly ▁focused ▁in ▁the ▁hands ▁of ▁a ▁subset ▁of ▁the ▁nob ility , ▁the ▁great ▁magn ates , ▁at ▁the ▁exp ense ▁of ▁the ▁wider ▁baron age , ▁encourag ing ▁the ▁break down ▁of ▁some ▁aspects ▁of ▁local ▁fe ud al ism . ▁As ▁time ▁went ▁by , ▁the ▁Norman ▁nob ility ▁inter mar ried ▁with ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁great ▁Ang lo - S ax on ▁families , ▁and ▁the ▁links ▁with ▁the ▁Duch y ▁began ▁to ▁weak en . ▁By ▁the ▁late ▁tw elf th ▁century , ▁mobil ising ▁the ▁English ▁bar ons ▁to ▁fight ▁on ▁the ▁continent ▁was ▁prov ing ▁difficult , ▁and ▁John ' s ▁attempts ▁to ▁do ▁so ▁ended ▁in ▁civil ▁war . ▁ ▁Society ▁ ▁Women ▁in ▁society ▁ ▁Med ieval ▁England ▁was ▁a ▁patri arch al ▁society ▁and ▁the ▁lives ▁of ▁women ▁were ▁heavily ▁influenced ▁by ▁contemporary ▁belief s ▁about ▁gender ▁and ▁authority . ▁However , ▁the ▁position ▁of ▁women ▁varied ▁according ▁to ▁factors ▁including ▁their ▁social ▁class ; ▁whether ▁they ▁were ▁un mar ried , ▁married , ▁wid owed ▁or ▁rem ar ried ; ▁and ▁in ▁which ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁country ▁they ▁lived . ▁Sign ific ant ▁gender ▁in equ ities ▁pers isted ▁throughout ▁the ▁period , ▁as ▁women ▁typically ▁had ▁more ▁limited ▁life - cho ices , ▁access ▁to ▁employ ment ▁and ▁trade , ▁and ▁legal ▁rights ▁than ▁men . ▁After ▁the ▁Norman ▁Con quest , ▁the ▁position ▁of ▁women ▁in