Countesses in court: elite women, creativity, and power in northern Iberia, 900–1200

Abstract

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