Nuns: powerful women of the Middle Ages

The Middle Ages were a rough time for women. They were considered inferior to men, and very few were educated. Convents offered them opportunities that might otherwise have been denied them: access to schooling, social welfare and the chance to break away from the close strictures of their families. An exhibition now on at the Swiss National Museum in Zurich looks at how ecclesiastical women lived in the Middle Ages, and the opportunities open to them. It explores the important position of nunneries in educational matters, their links to politics and the influence some of these women had on theology. Many nuns excelled as illustrators, tapestry-makers, musicians, gardeners and cooks. Some wrote diaries and texts that survive today and provide interesting insights into the way in which they lived and thought. The highest office was that of abbess, prioress or mistress. Managing a nunnery was challenging, requiring diplomatic skills and a high level of education. Religious centres...