Roles Of Women In The Renaissance

The Renaissance was a period of great development and innovation in Europe, marked by a renewed interest in classical learning, art, and science. As the Renaissance swept across Europe, women found themselves at the forefront of the revolution breaking free from the constraints of society to add their own ideas to the new era of intellectual expression. To the common eye, the era was filled with many great male thinkers and artists, and the role of women is often overlooked. However, despite facing numerous obstacles and restrictions, women found a way to make their own significant contributions to their communities and the Renaissance as a whole. Many believe women did not contribute to the era due to some biased ideas that have been brought

A salon was an intellectual and literary discussion that was held at a royal or noble court and many women who attended these gatherings exchanged ideas, then published their views in books and pamphlets. (Gale ebook) One great part of the Renaissance was competition and these salons would give women the opportunity to challenge ideas. Salons not only allowed women to express ideas but they also supported women's careers, and when people did not receive an education, especially in the early Renaissance, women were capable of attending the salons and learning. Some ideas discussed included love, marriage, and authority and many literary genres were developed out of these salons such as novels. portraits, and newsletters. (Gale ebook) These salons also allowed more women across Europe to be exposed to developing ideas. During the Renaissance, some of the most popular forms of literature and art were newsletters and portraits, seeing that these were the greatest works from the salons the women were clearly participating in the active Renaissance. There was a recent study about salons and women's effect on the Renaissance specifically as physicians by Londa Schiebinger's, “Nature's body" Gender in the making of Modern Science demonstrated that female investigators of natural knowledge, salonnieres, and patrons of

During the Reformation, many women were able to support the movement and their new religion as wives and mothers and became the backbone of the movement. Without their intellect, devotion to religion, and ability to care for others the Reformation could have been as successful. (Gale ebook) The Renaissance was about moving away from the Catholic church, especially in art and literature. Women were not only participating in this nuanced idea but they were able to use their own skills to support the movement. Few opportunities for female leadership emerged in the earliest days of Protestantism. However, some female advocates circulated their views in writing. Among them was Argula von Grumbach. She was then drawn to Protestantism. Through the pamphlets of the Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther and other reformers, Grumbach immersed herself in reading Scripture. In 1523, after witnessing the mock trial of a student who was a follower of Lutheranism, she challenged Catholic theologians to a debate about their coercive conduct. (Gale ebook). While women were able to support their religious beliefs by generally accepted gender roles, such as their impressive ability to take care of others, they also stood against authority in the same ways as men were able to. Anne Askew was another important figure who spent much of her youth studying the Bible