The eleventh and twelfth centuries are full of the stories of women who took up arms in defense of their home, their family, their lands, their king and even the Pope.
Among these women were the likes of: Lady Gwenllian, the daughter of Gruffudd ap Cynon, King of Gwynedd, lady of Cydeli Castle who fell in battle against the Normans in 1136. Nicola de la Haye who was named sheriff of Lincolshire in 1160, who not only defended a besieged Lincoln Castle but also lead offensive engagements. Countess Matilda of Tuscany (b.1046) first appeared, at the age of 15, armed and armoured, on a battlefield accompanying her mother. Eventually, (1091) Countess Matilda entered into battle with Emperor Henry IV fighting in defense of the Pope (she won the battle). These are just few examples of women arming themselves and doing battle. (D. E. Jones)
Women had another reason for the use of weapons, and that was hunting. In the twelfth century everyone hunted. Royalty and the nobility hunted as much (if not more) for the social and recreational aspect of hunting as they did to put meat in the larder. Many women of the nobility were every bit as enamored of hunting as their menfolk were.
Not much was written about hunting in the twelfth century, William Twiti’s treatise (the first “hunting manual”) wouldn’t be written until 1327, and even after that women weren’t really mentioned in them. But we know that women hunted from the fines levied against them in the English Forest Courts, other evidence are illustration such as the ones below. And when Edward, 2nd Duke of York translated and augmented Gaston Pheobus’ Livre de Chasse in his The Master of Game (1406), he ended this book with the following passage:
“And in my simple manner as best I could and as might be learned of old and many diverse gentle hunters, I did my business in this rude manner to put the craft and the terms and the exercise of this said game more in remembrance and openly to the knowledge of all lords, ladies, gentlemen and women, according to the customs and manners used in the high noble courts of this Realm of England” (Edward) (emphasis mine).
It’s not too surprising, then, that living in the Welsh Marches, in a time when raids and skirmishes are still fairly common (although less common than in the memory of any of her contemporaries), Marguerite is very familiar with the use of the bow. She uses her bow for hunting and for the defense of her lands.
“Just as the bow is the chief weapon in South Wales, so here in Gwynedd they prefer the spear” (Gerald of Wales, A Journey Through Wales (1188) 182)
Although Marguerite’s bow isn’t as powerful as those used by her husband and his men, her arrows are sharp and still effective against the deer she hunts and the lightly armoured bands of brigands who take their chances against the well armed and very determined men of her lands.
Bibliography:
Almond, Richard. Daughter of Artemis: The Huntress in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. D.S. Brewer, 2009.
—. Medieval Hunting. Thrupp-Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing, 2003.
Cummins, John. The Art of Medieval Hunting: The Hound and the Hawk. Booksales, 2003.
Edward, 2nd Duke of York. The Master of Game. 2010 <http://books.google.com/books?id=dwM2AAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22The+Master+of+Game%22&source=bl&ots=XNQwohH5bM&sig=h0NB294zokSS5ZH4ynymFt48kRA&hl=en&ei=w3qyS6XLF4nMsgPBg5nKAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=&f=fa>.
Gerald of Wales, (Giraldus Cambrensis). A Journey Through Wales (1188). Trans. L. Thorpe. Penguin Books, 1978.
Hodgson, Natasha R. Women, Crusading and in the Holy Land in Historical Narrative. Rochester: The Boydell Press, 2007.
Holmes, Urban Tigner. Daily Living in the Twelfth Century. University of Wisconsin Press, 1966.
Jones, David E. Women Warriors: A History. Washigton DC: Brassey's, 1997.
Linnard, William. "The Nine Huntings: A Re-examination of Y Naw Helwiaeth." The Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies XXXI (1984).
Turberville, George. "Noble Arte of Venerie or Hunting." 1576. Google Books. Clarendon Press. 30 March 2010 <http://books.google.com/books?id=QQgbAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=hunting&lr=&as_brr=4&cd=23#v=onepage&q=&f=false>.
Twiti, William. The Art of Hunting. Trans. Bror Danielsson. Stokholm: Almqvist & Wiskell International, 1327.
Among these women were the likes of: Lady Gwenllian, the daughter of Gruffudd ap Cynon, King of Gwynedd, lady of Cydeli Castle who fell in battle against the Normans in 1136. Nicola de la Haye who was named sheriff of Lincolshire in 1160, who not only defended a besieged Lincoln Castle but also lead offensive engagements. Countess Matilda of Tuscany (b.1046) first appeared, at the age of 15, armed and armoured, on a battlefield accompanying her mother. Eventually, (1091) Countess Matilda entered into battle with Emperor Henry IV fighting in defense of the Pope (she won the battle). These are just few examples of women arming themselves and doing battle. (D. E. Jones)
Women had another reason for the use of weapons, and that was hunting. In the twelfth century everyone hunted. Royalty and the nobility hunted as much (if not more) for the social and recreational aspect of hunting as they did to put meat in the larder. Many women of the nobility were every bit as enamored of hunting as their menfolk were.
Not much was written about hunting in the twelfth century, William Twiti’s treatise (the first “hunting manual”) wouldn’t be written until 1327, and even after that women weren’t really mentioned in them. But we know that women hunted from the fines levied against them in the English Forest Courts, other evidence are illustration such as the ones below. And when Edward, 2nd Duke of York translated and augmented Gaston Pheobus’ Livre de Chasse in his The Master of Game (1406), he ended this book with the following passage:
“And in my simple manner as best I could and as might be learned of old and many diverse gentle hunters, I did my business in this rude manner to put the craft and the terms and the exercise of this said game more in remembrance and openly to the knowledge of all lords, ladies, gentlemen and women, according to the customs and manners used in the high noble courts of this Realm of England” (Edward) (emphasis mine).
It’s not too surprising, then, that living in the Welsh Marches, in a time when raids and skirmishes are still fairly common (although less common than in the memory of any of her contemporaries), Marguerite is very familiar with the use of the bow. She uses her bow for hunting and for the defense of her lands.
“Just as the bow is the chief weapon in South Wales, so here in Gwynedd they prefer the spear” (Gerald of Wales, A Journey Through Wales (1188) 182)
Although Marguerite’s bow isn’t as powerful as those used by her husband and his men, her arrows are sharp and still effective against the deer she hunts and the lightly armoured bands of brigands who take their chances against the well armed and very determined men of her lands.
Bibliography:
Almond, Richard. Daughter of Artemis: The Huntress in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. D.S. Brewer, 2009.
—. Medieval Hunting. Thrupp-Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing, 2003.
Cummins, John. The Art of Medieval Hunting: The Hound and the Hawk. Booksales, 2003.
Edward, 2nd Duke of York. The Master of Game. 2010 <http://books.google.com/books?id=dwM2AAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22The+Master+of+Game%22&source=bl&ots=XNQwohH5bM&sig=h0NB294zokSS5ZH4ynymFt48kRA&hl=en&ei=w3qyS6XLF4nMsgPBg5nKAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=&f=fa>.
Gerald of Wales, (Giraldus Cambrensis). A Journey Through Wales (1188). Trans. L. Thorpe. Penguin Books, 1978.
Hodgson, Natasha R. Women, Crusading and in the Holy Land in Historical Narrative. Rochester: The Boydell Press, 2007.
Holmes, Urban Tigner. Daily Living in the Twelfth Century. University of Wisconsin Press, 1966.
Jones, David E. Women Warriors: A History. Washigton DC: Brassey's, 1997.
Linnard, William. "The Nine Huntings: A Re-examination of Y Naw Helwiaeth." The Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies XXXI (1984).
Turberville, George. "Noble Arte of Venerie or Hunting." 1576. Google Books. Clarendon Press. 30 March 2010 <http://books.google.com/books?id=QQgbAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=hunting&lr=&as_brr=4&cd=23#v=onepage&q=&f=false>.
Twiti, William. The Art of Hunting. Trans. Bror Danielsson. Stokholm: Almqvist & Wiskell International, 1327.