What was a womens lifestyle in a medieval town?
A great deal depended on the woman’s social class, as it generally does in almost any age. The towns were where the middle class emerged, the merchants and tradespeople, and the lifestyle of their wives and daughters was different from that of the noblewomen, not in terms of comfort, but in terms of autonomy. First of all, a larger percentage of townswomen were literate. They often helped their husbands in whatever trade they practiced, be it apothecary, brewer, baker, or merchant. There are known cases where they were admitted to the various trade guilds, usually after their husbands died. This enabled them to continue the family business, and also to take apprentices to teach them whatever trade they knew. This often provided a very nice standard of living in the context of the time we’re discussing, sometimes even exceeding that of the nobility. These women often had to manage the business while their husbands were away from home. In many ways, they were women who might feel fairly
