Covering the eleventh through         sixteenth centuries, these essays suggest that influence and power may         have paradoxically been available to women despite, and sometimes precisely         because of, their subordinate position in society. Striking for its range         of scholarship, this collection explores the power and independence, relationships         and influence of medieval queens, holy women, mothers, widows, Jewish         conversas, and others. Latin and Anglo-Norman hagiography, confessors'         manuals, coronation rituals, responsa literature, and legal theory         are represented.       "An intriguing exploration         of a basic paradox of medieval society, and an excellent blend of theory         and gender studies with detailed work relevant for social and political         history." -- Joel Rosenthal, author of Patriarchy and Families         of Privilege in Fifteenth-Century England       JENNIFER CARPENTER         is a lecturer in history at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.