Renaissance Women: Life Before The Age Of 15

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For young, noble Renaissance women, life before the age of 15 was carefree. Unlike Renaissance boys, who attended schools and were taught Latin, philosophy, arithmetic, grammar, rhetoric, and swordsmanship, Renaissance girls were educated in the royal courts or convents; girls studied art, music, needlework, dancing, and poetry. Upon reaching the age of 15, a girl had two choices: to either join a convent to become a nun, or become a wife to a husband of her family’s choosing. Marriage meant children (often many children), running a household, and being subservient to the husband. Women could die in childbirth—this was an accepted part of Renaissance life. In addition, disease spread quickly within confined, closed quarters. Thus, large families