Abstract
The article examines the place and role of women in the social life of London in the 14th–15th centuries based on the material of the original sources. It is shown that, despite the restrictions fixed by custom and laws on the social activity of women, the range of occupations of the townsmen –wives and widows – was unusually wide. It is craft and trade, including the right to take apprentices, real estate transactions, and financial deals. Women did not just help men in the craft or trade shops, but also worked independently. The status of women, especially married women, who chose to participate in trade or in town production as their main occupation, was never fully developed. A significant degradation in the position of women in the public sphere in London occurred in the 16th century. The author concludes that, despite all the difficulties, a new type of woman was gradually developed in the city – energetic, enterprising, educated, who acts in society as an independent head of the family and business.
Highlights
The article examines the place and role of women in the social life of London in the 14th–15th centuries based on the material of the original sources
Despite the restrictions fixed by custom and laws on the social activity of women, the range of occupations of the townsmen –wives and widows – was unusually wide
The status of women, especially married women, who chose to participate in trade or in town production as their main occupation, was never fully developed
Summary
Естественно, такая экономическая независи мость замужней женщины влекла за собой опре деленные последствия: она арендовала торговую лавку, дом или другие строения в городе и сама несла ответственность за арендную плату, отве чала на жалобы в отношении счетов, долгов и всего того, что касалось ее торговли и товаров. И для Джорджа Сели, представителя известной в Лондоне и за его пределами семейной компании купцов Сели, жена Марджери – это еще и верная помощница в делах, которая стремилась быть полезной своему супругу: «Прошу вас, сэр, не беспокоиться, все ваши товары, слава Богу, в безопасности...»44.
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