Countesses in court: elite women, creativity, and power in northern Iberia, 900–1200
Jeffrey A. Bowman
In the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth centuries, elite women in northern parts of Iberian Peninsula exercised considerable political power. The career Ermessenda, countess Barcelona, Girona, Osona, is emblematic diverse opportunities for power that were available to ambitious elevated social class. During first half eleventh century, Ermessenda dominated landscape Catalonia, buying selling land, forging agreements with other magnates, supporting religious institutions, presiding over judicial assemblies. While especially well documented, broadly distributed diplomatic evidence shows many displayed similar levels creativity energy. dynamism female lords apparent administration justice, patronage control land castles, innovative projects advanced collective interests powerful families. broader context allowed manifold exercise lordship much same way their husbands, brothers, sons did. this period, there few forms from which systematically excluded.
Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies