Gendering medieval Portugal
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© Ana Ma ia S. A. Rod igues, 2021 | doi:10.1163/9789004459397_002
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CHAPTER1
Gende ing Medie al Po ugal
Ana Ma ia S. A. Rod igues
Gende his o yisno apopula subjec inPo ugal.Ibelie e ha hisdisa -
ec ioniscausedbyigno ance a he hanbyin o meddisapp o al.Among
Po uguesehis o ians,asamong hegene alpublic, hewo dgende iss ill
associa edwi hwomen,asi onlywomen’sli eswe ede e minedby hei gen-
de .Gende his o yis he e o edismissedasa hing ha conce nsonlywomen,
aswomen’shis o ywassomedecadesago.Thisis a he cu ious,asgende
his o yde elopedou o women’shis o yp eciselybecause,a somepoin ,
i becameob ious ha hela e haden e edaso o blindalley.S udying
womenasadis inc subjec hadbeenpa amoun in ende ingwomen isible
in hepas anddemons a ing ha hey oohadahis o y.Ye women’shis o i-
answe ekep inaso o ghe oand hei indings,deba esandchallenges o
mains eamhis o ywe eno hea d,discussedo assimila ed.Anewapp oach
seemed obenecessa y,one ha wascalled o and heo izedbyJoanSco in
he seminala icleo 1986ongende asaca ego yo his o icalanalysis.1
In he ollowingyea s, eminis sandwomen’shis o iansengagedinali ely
deba eonwhe he ocon inue ocusingexclusi elyonwomeno whe he o
u n hei a en ion o “social ela ionships based on pe cei ed di e ences
be ween hesexes”,especially“ ela ionshipso powe ”,asde inedbySco .2
Someo hesedispu an s emaineda ached o heaimsandme hodologieso
women’shis o y,conside ing ha hesewe eno exhaus ed;o he semb aced
gende analysisen husias ically.A ewe ens a ed os udymenasgende ed
subjec s,gi ingbi h oanew ieldo s udy,men’shis o y,aspa o hewides
domaino men’ss udies.3
1 JoanW.Sco ,“Gende ,aUse ulCa ego yo His o icalAnalysis,”Ame ican His o ical Re iew
91(1986):1053–1075.Though hisa icleinspi edmany esea che swhocould eadi ini s
English e sion,i wasonly ansla edin oEu opeanPo uguesein2008: “Géne o,uma
ca ego iaú ildeanálisehis ó ica,”inVa iações sob e sexo e géne o,ed.AnaIsabelC espo,
AnaMon ei o-Fe ei a,AnabelaGalha doCou o,IsabelC uzandTe esaJoaquim(Lisbon:
Li osHo izon e,2008):49–77.AB azilian e sion,unknowninPo ugal,hasexis edsince
1990:“Gêne o,umaca ego iaú ildeanálisehis ó ica,”Educação e Realidade15,2(1990):5–22.
2 JoanW.Sco ,“Gende ,”1067.
3 ThelmaFens e ,“P e ace:WhyMen?”inMedie al Masculini ies: Rega ding Men in he Middle
Ages, ed.Cla eA.Lees(Minneapolis:Uni e si yo Minneso aP ess,1994),ix–xiii.
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14 Rod igues
All hese new heo ies, me hodologies and deba es eached Po ugal wi h
a conside able delay: only in 1985 was he e enough c i ical mass o p omo e
he i s con e ence on women’s his o y; and gende his o y ook wo mo e
decades o ind i s way in o he uni e si ies, he media and he bookshops.4 As
a esul , oday, as a as medie al his o y is conce ned, we know a li le abou
Po uguese medie al women, as a easonable numbe o a icles and mas e s’
disse a ions ha e been p oduced on hem. We know e y li le abou Po u-
guese medie al men as men, i.e. as gende ed subjec s a he han as kings,
bishops, knigh s, c a smen o peasan s. And we know simila ly li le abou he
way eminini y and masculini y we e cons uc ed and a icula ed by socie y in
o de o pe pe ua e no only male domina ion o e emale and o he gende s,
bu also he domina ion o hegemonic masculini y o e o he – subo dina ed
– o ms o masculini y.
In his chap e , I shall he e o e s a by making a b ie p esen a ion o he
main lines o esea ch ha ha e been de eloped conce ning Po uguese medi-
e al women o e he pas 30 yea s.5 I shall hen u n o he s udy o medie al
men and masculini ies; and I shall end by showing how he in e ela ed s udy
o women and men has h own new ligh on Po uguese medie al socie y a i s
highes le el, including i s poli ical socie y.
Some o he ea lies s udies on Po uguese medie al women conce ned
women’s ole in he amily and hei ju idical s a us. These e ealed ha
daugh e s had he same igh s o hei pa en s’ inhe i ance as sons; and e en
when a special law ( he Lei Men al) was passed egula ing he succession o
oyal es a es (bens da Co oa), which s a ed ha only a i s bo n male could suc-
ceed o he a he , many excep ions we e g an ed o emale successo s. Wi es
we e indeed subo dina ed o husbands; bu he la e could no pawn o sell
p ope y wi hou hei spouses’ consen . Mo eo e , a hei husbands’ dea h,
widows we e no only en i led o hei dowe and dow y bu also o hal o
he couple’s asse s. Women hus enjoyed p ope y and succession igh s ha
assu ed hem some powe and au onomy.6
4 Manuela San os Sil a and I ha e explained he easons o his delay in a p e ious wo k:
Manuela San os Sil a and Ana Ma ia S. A. Rod igues, “Women’s and Gende His o y,” in The
His o iog aphy o Medie al Po ugal c.1950–2010, ed. José Ma oso, Ma ia de Lu des Rosa,
Be na do Vasconcelos e Sousa and Ma ia João B anco (Lisbon: IEM – Ins i u o de Es udos
Medie ais, 2011), 483–484.
5 A e y b ie one since Manuela San os Sil a and I ha e al eady p esen ed hem in he chap e
e e enced in he p e ious no e, and e y ew new s udies ha e been published since hen.
6 The e e ences conce ning hese ma e s a e lis ed in Manuela San os Sil a and Ana Ma ia
S. A. Rod igues, “Women’s and Gende His o y,” 485–486. To ou knowledge, no new s udies
ha e been published since hen.
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Gende ing Medie al Po ugal 15
Ano he ield o s udies ha s a ed in he 1980s bu is s ill unde ep e-
sen ed is women’s wo k. The impo ance o women’s ac i i ies o he house-
hold economy has been demons a ed, as has women’s pa icipa ion in c a s
and in small u ban businesses.7 Ye we do no know much abou hei sala ies
o ea nings, hei wo king condi ions, o hei membe ship o con a e ni ies
and guilds, and he e y ew essays published in he las ew yea s ha e done
li le o change his si ua ion.8
Women’s ela ionship o eligion, howe e , has oused he cu iosi y o Po -
uguese his o ians o some ime now. The ins i u ional o ms o eligiosi y
we e he i s ones o ge a en ion, and many a icles and disse a ions we e
w i en on he b anches ha eligious o de s c ea ed o women and on emale
monas ic communi ies.9 This end is s ill bea ing ui oday, especially as con-
ce ns he emale b anches o he mendican s.10 And new inqui ies ha e b oad-
ened ou knowledge on he subjec conside ably. One o hese conce ns he
ecip ocal ela ions o emale monas e ies wi h hei u ban en i onmen and
he male con en s ha sha ed i wi h hem. This e eals he exis ence o se i-
ous con lic s bu also o coope a ion and o a sense o p o ec ion among he
u ban popula ion, he municipal au ho i ies and he ia s owa ds he nuns.11
7 Manuela San os Sil a and Ana Ma ia S. A. Rod igues, “Women’s and Gende His o y,” 486.
8 Joana Sequei a and A naldo Sousa Melo, “A mulhe na p odução êx il po uguesa a -
do-medie al,” Medie alis a 11 (2012): 1–26; Ma ia Amélia Ál a o de Campos, “A mulhe
da pa óquia de San a Jus a de Coimb a na Baixa Idade Média: o e a o possí el das
suas ocupações, elações e a e os,” in Se muje en la ciudad medie al eu opea, ed. Jesus
Ángel Soló zano Telechea, Bea iz A ízaga Bulumbu u and Amélia Aguia de And ade
(Log oño: Ins i u o de Es udios Riojanos, 2013), 215–232. An MA disse a ion on his sub-
jec has ecen ly been de ended: Ma iana Fonseca An unes Al es Pe ei a, A mulhe e o
abalho nas cidades e ilas po uguesas medie ais (séculos XIV e XV), unpublished MA dis-
se a ion (Lisbon: Uni e sidade No a de Lisboa, 2020).
9 Manuela San os Sil a and Ana Ma ia S. A. Rod igues, “Women’s and Gende His o y,”
487–489.
10 Ma ia Filomena And ade, In Oboedien ia, Sine P op io, E In Cas i a e, Sub Clausu a. A
O dem de San a Cla a em Po ugal (séculos XIII e XIV), unpublished PhD hesis (Lisbon:
Uni e sidade No a de Lisboa, 2011). A PhD on he Dominicans is cu en ly unde way.
11 Ma ia Filomena And ade, “O Con en o e a Cidade: desa ios e diálogos,” in Se muje en la
ciudad medie al eu opea, ed. Jesus Ángel Soló zano Telechea, Bea iz A ízaga Bulumbu u
and Amélia Aguia de And ade (Log oño: Ins i u o de Es udios Riojanos, 2013), 407–438;
Id., “Mulhe es sob cus ódia: as comunidades de cla issas como espaços de obediência
e au onomia (séculos XIII e XIV)”, Lusi ania Sac a, 2nd se ies, 31 (2015): 33–50; Id., “As
Cla issas na Cidade: Nob eza e Pode (séculos XIII e XIV),” in Con lic o Poli ico: Lucha
y Coope ación, Ciudad y Nobleza en Po ugal y Cas illa en la Baja Edad Media, ed. Ade-
laide Millán da Cos a and José An onio Ja a Fuen e (Lisbon: IEM – Ins i u o de Es udos
Medie ais, 2017), 69–90; João Luís Inglês Fon es and Ma ia Filomena And ade, “De oção
e au o idade: a a i mação da eligiosidade eminina em Coimb a na época medie al,”
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16 Rod igues
Ano he line o in es iga ion has conce ned he pa icula i ies o eligious
women’s de o ions, hei memo ial and bodily p ac ices, which ha e eme ged
as he e y ew ex s w i en by hem ha ha e su i ed ha e been s udied
using new app oaches.12 Finally, non-ins i u ional o ms o emale eligiosi y
ha e also been sc u inised, which has led o he conclusion ha , despi e he
equen eme gence o new adical expe iences, ancho esses, beguines and
o he “women o he poo li e” we e con inuously unde p essu e om eli-
gious and u ban au ho i ies o accep a ule and o ans o m hei in o mal
communi ies in o monas ic ones, which hey e en ually did.13
I we u n now o he his o y o Po uguese medie al men and masculini y,
he ha es is meag e. In 2006, I opened he ield wi h a e lec ion on he mas-
culini y o he canons o he ca hed al o B aga.14 Wi h he imposi ion o celi-
bacy on p ies s du ing he G ego ian Re o m, he chu ch ex ended o hem an
ideal o sexual enuncia ion ha had been cha ac e is ic o monks and nuns
un il hen, and had o ged, acco ding o ce ain au ho s, a hi d gende iden-
i y. Ye , due o hei upb inging and hei ole in socie y – hey had no been
locked in monas e ies since hei childhood bu educa ed by hei mo he s
in Au o idad, Pode e In luencia. Muje es que hacen His o ia, ol. 2 [CD ROM], ed. Hena
Gallego F anco and Ma ía del Ca men Ga cía He e o (Ba celona: Ica ia, 2017), 571–589;
João Luís Inglês Fon es, Ma ia Filomena And ade and Ma ia Leono Sil a San os, “F ades,
monjas e eclusas: os p imó dios da p esença mendican e em San a ém medie al,” in
Cla isas y Dominicas. Modelos de implan ación, iliación, p omoción y de oción en la Penín-
sula Ibé ica, Ce deña, Nápoles y Sicilia, ed. Gemma Te esa Colesan i, Blanca Ga í and
Nú ia Jo ne -Beni o (Flo ence: Fi enze Uni e si y P ess, 2017), 383–405.
12 Gilbe o Co alejo Moi ei o, As dominicanas de A ei o (c. 1450–1525): Memó ia e iden i-
dade de uma comunidade ex ual, unpublished PhD hesis (Lisbon: Uni e sidade No a
de Lisboa, 2013); Id., “Tex o e expe iência eligiosa eminina: es a égias discu si as ha-
giog á icas no seio da obse ância dominicana po uguesa,” in Vozes da ida eligiosa e-
minina: Expe iências, ex ualidades e silêncios (séculos XV–XXI), ed. João Luís Fon es,
Ma ia Filomena And ade and Tiago Pi es Ma ques (Lisbon: Cen o de Es udos de His ó ia
Religiosa, 2015), 31–48; Id., “Mani es ações ex e io es da ida in e io . Usos do co po e
ep esen ações da alma na C ónica da Fundação do Mos ei o de Jesus de A ei o,” in Géne o
e in e io idade na ida eligiosa: Concei os, con ex os e p á icas, ed. João Luís Fon es, Ma ia
Filomena And ade and Tiago Pi es Ma ques (Lisbon: Cen o de Es udos de His ó ia
Religiosa, 2017), 65–86.
13 João Luís Inglês Fon es, “Em o no de uma expe iência eligiosa eminina: as mulhe es
da pob e ida de É o a,” Lusi ania Sac a, 2nd se ies, 31 (2015): 51–71; Id., “O dese o na
cidade: expe iências eligiosas emininas em Po ugal nos inais da Idade Média,” in
His ó ia An iga e Medie al 6 – Con li os sociais, gue a e elações de gêne o: ep esen ações
e iolência, ed. Ad iana Zie e and Ana Lí ia B. Viei a (São Luís: Edi o a UEMA, 2017),
51–74.
14 Ana Ma ia S. A. Rod igues, “Um mundo só de homens. Os capi ula es b aca enses e a
i ência da masculinidade na Idade Média,” in Es udos de Homenagem ao P o . Dou o
José Ma ques, ol. 1 (Po o: Faculdade de Le as da Uni e sidade do Po o, 2006), 161–172.
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Gende ing Medie al Po ugal 17
un il a leas he age o se en; and hey had egula con ac wi h women in
he o m o pa ishione s, se an s, ade s, and so o h – i was much mo e
di icul o p ies s o con o m o his “emasculini y”, as some ha e named i .
In ac , he in o ma ion p o ided by he sou ces on he canons o he ca he-
d al o B aga showed ha many o hem li ed in la ge households wi h emale
se an s who we e equen ly hei concubines and child en hey called hei
c iados,15 nephews o godchild en, bu who we e in ac illegi ima e child en
ha hey some imes legi imized o allow hem o ha e access o hei inhe -
i ance. The canons ac ed as pa e amilias o hese child en and o hei se -
an s and dependan s, educa ing hem and boos ing hei ecclesias ical o lay
ca ee s i hey we e men, p o iding hem wi h a good ma iage i hey we e
women, and ob aining oyal p i ileges o bo h. They also showed o he cha -
ac e is ics o knigh ly masculini y: hey hun ed and ca ied weapons despi e
he p ohibi ions on hese; hey we e occasionally in ol ed in s ee igh s and
in mili a y campaigns; and hey wo e conspicuous and inapp op ia e clo hes
and shoes, including ich ado nmen s and jewels. Howe e , hey sha ed a ew
male ai s wi h lowe ca ego ies o socie y oo: occasionally, hey d ank and
gambled in a e ns and o he in amous loca ions.
I hus concluded ha hese ecclesias ics did no con o m o he hi d gende
pa adigm ha he Chu ch a emp ed o impose on hem. Ra he hey unde -
ook and pe o med he masculini y o he social o de mos o hem we e
bo n o, he nobili y, al hough su ep i iously, o en eeling shame, guil and a
inal epen ance which is e iden in hei las wills and es amen s.
In 2012, I e u ned o he deba e on hi d gende s.16 I discussed ecen wo k
on eunuchs ha p esen ed hem as a hi d gende and o he wo k ha con-
side ed ha hey embodied a pa icula o m o masculini y, o conclude ha
he e was (and s ill is) no consensus abou i . I also analysed again he case o
secula cle ics in he ace o new wo k and my own esea ch. I concluded once
mo e ha , despi e he dominan posi ion o he Chu ch in many aspec s o
medie al socie y, he gende model i a emp ed o impose on i s own mem-
be s – a hi d gende acco ding o some au ho s, a speci ic o m o masculini y
(“cle ical i ili y”) acco ding o o he s – was ne e gene alized among hem,
15 C iados and c iadas we e boys and gi ls aised and educa ed in a lo d’s household, wi h
which hey es ablished long-las ing ies ha could e en be placed abo e consanguini y.
On his designa ion, see Ri a Cos a Gomes, The Making o a Cou Socie y: Kings and Nobles
in La e Medie al Po ugal (Camb idge: Camb idge Uni e si y P ess, 2003), 205–208.
16 Ana Ma ia S. A. Rod igues, “La Iden idad de Géne o en la Edad Media, una cues ión
polémica,” in Iden i a s (XIV Cu s d’Es iu de Balague ), ed. Flocel Saba é (Lleida: Pagés,
2012), 43–57.
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18 Rod igues
le alone exe ed any s ong appeal on o he social g oups. The e o e, knigh ly
masculini y emained he hegemonic masculini y o ha ime.
In ha same chap e , I spen some ime de ining knigh ly masculini y based
on o he , o eign, au ho s’ wo k, because I had no pe sonal esea ch o p es-
en and knew o no Po uguese wo k on he subjec ei he . Only as ecen ly as
2016 did he ideology o chi al y in Po ugal become he subjec o a mas e ’s
disse a ion which ga e us some insigh in o he way Po uguese knigh s buil
hei iden i y in he i een h cen u y.17 The au ho looked a a a ied a ay o
sou ces: mo al and echnical ea ises, law codes, le e s, epo s, and ch oni-
cles. Ye he did no use gende as an analy ical ool and he e o e ne e consid-
e ed masculini y as a pe inen ac o o he knigh ’s iden i y.
Qui e a di e en pe spec i e was used by Manuela San os Sil a in he s udy
o he iolen cha ac e s and si ua ions epo ed in he Po uguese genealogical
books o he ou een h cen u y. She a ailed he sel o gende analysis o a gue
ha agg essi e beha iou was conside ed a no mal, pe haps e en a necessa y,
exp ession o masculini y among knigh s when hei honou was a s ake. This
occu ed, o example, i hei lo d was in dange and needed hei help, i hey
we e idiculed in public by o he knigh s, o i hei wi es commi ed adul e y
o we e accused o doing so, all o which would call in o ques ion hei i ili y.
Ye some ex eme iolen beha iou was conside ed excessi e, de ian , and
punished h ough social c i icism, exile o e en he dea h penal y.18
I eached simila conclusions abou knigh ly masculini y in an essay ha
explo es he h ee ch onicles ha Zu a a dedica ed o he mili a y achie e-
men s o he Po uguese in Ma occo in he i een h cen u y, in o de o unde -
s and how he ch onicle cons uc ed each gende in ela ion o wa .19 Tha
igh ing was no a woman’s business was so e iden o Zu a a ha he a ely
el he need o s a e he ac . Fo him, women we e weak, no only in hei
bodies bu in hei hea s, and only excep ional women managed o anscend
hei na u al weakness and encou age hei husbands and child en o go o
wa ins ead o a emp ing o keep hem a home. One such excep ional woman
17 Miguel Pe ei a Aguia , Ca alei os e ca ala ia. Ideologias, p á icas e i uais a is oc á icos
em Po ugal nos séculos XIV e XV (Lisbon: Teodoli o, 2018). The e is a b ie e sion o his
wo k in English: Miguel Aguia , “Chi al y in Medie al Po ugal,” e-Jou nal o Po uguese
His o y 13, 2 (2015): 1–17.
18 Manuela San os Sil a, “Violência ou exibição de i ilidade? Compo amen os masculinos
nos Li os de Linhagens po ugueses da Idade Média,” eClassica 2 (2016): 126–135.
19 Ana Ma ia S. A. Rod igues, “Em o no da conquis a de Ceu a: Gue a e géne o na Idade
Média,” in His ó ia An iga e Medie al 6 – Con li os sociais, gue a e elações de gêne o:
ep esen ações e iolência, ed. Ad iana Zie e and Ana Lí ia B. Viei a (São Luís: Edi o a
UEMA, 2017), 17–32.
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Gende ing Medie al Po ugal 19
was a biblical igu e, he mo he o he Maccabean, who was o i ied by ai h.
Ano he was Queen Philippa o Lancas e (1360–1415), who was s ong because
she was descended om a line o alian knigh s. Zu a a also desc ibes Queen
Philippa and ano he noblewoman as quie and aus e e, always occupied in
needlewo k, qui e he opposi e o he noisy and shallow women o he people
who g ee ed wa io s when hey e u ned o Po ugal a e a ic o y. As such,
he eminini y he p aised was ma kedly a is oc a ic.
Indeed, he masculini y ha Zu a a p aised was also ypically knigh ly. He
accused he men who pa icipa ed in he conques o Ceu a as in an y o
being mo e in e es ed in pillaging he ci y han in killing he enemies o he
ue Fai h. He also s a ed ha some esqui es who s ayed behind o seize he
belongings o he dead Muslims we e killed because o hei g eed. Acco ding
o him, only knigh s and g ea lo ds displayed a p ope , chi al ic beha iou in
wa . Ye Zu a a did no compa e hese men only o o he males. The knigh ’s
manly ea u es s ood ou in con as wi h emale cha ac e is ics as well: hey
did no ha e “e emina e”, bu a he s ong, hea s; hey did no ha e “delica e
complexions”, bu a he powe ul, igo ous bodies; hey did no c y. O he
cha ac e is ics o knigh ly masculini y we e he pe manen spi i o compe i-
i eness among hem, hei impulsi eness, hei hi s o blood, and hei lo e
o iolence.
A gende pe spec i e was also used by Hélde Ca alhal and Isabel dos
Guima ães Sá o s udy Cons able A onso’s b ie li e.20 A onso (c. 1480–1504)
was he illegi ima e son o he Duke o Viseu-Beja, D. Diogo (1450–1484), who
was aised sec e ly as a peasan a e his a he ’s mu de by King John II o
Po ugal ( . 1481–1495). He was eins a ed in his igh ul ole when his uncle,
Manuel I ( . 1495–1521), succeeded o he h one. Ca alhal and Sá show how
A onso cons uc ed his new iden i y as a membe o he oyal amily and hi d
in line o he h one by con o ming o he hegemonic model o knigh ly mas-
culini y p e ailing in his ime: he ma ied a young noblewoman and a he ed
a child; he ook g ea ca e o his a i e, his a mou and he equipping o his
ho ses; he pa icipa ed in a is oc a ic games such as jous s, cane games (jogos
de canas) and mumme ies. Ye , as Po ugal was hen a peace wi h Cas ile, he
did no ha e occasion o show his cou age and alou as a wa io by pe o m-
ing his du ies as Cons able. He could ha e pa icipa ed in he pe manen wa
agains he so-called “in idels” ha was being pu sued by he Po uguese in
No he n Mo occo, hough. This si ua ion allowed he Po uguese noblemen
20 Hélde Ca alhal and Isabel dos Guima ães Sá, “Knigh ly Masculini y, Cou Games and
Ma e ial Cul u e in La e-medie al Po ugal: The Case o Cons able A onso (c. 1480–1504)”,
Gende & His o y 28, 2 (2016): 387–400.
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20 Rod igues
and e en some mo e humble young men o p ac ice hei igh ing skills, show
hei b a e y in ba le and e en ually be knigh ed. The au ho s o he a icle do
no discuss his possibili y, e en hough hey acknowledge he impo ance o
Moo ish elemen s in cou ly games.
In ano he a icle, Hélde Ca alhal d aws on he poe y o he Cancionei o
Ge al and se e al o he sou ces o e alua e he con ibu ion o he adop ion o
he hegemonic model o masculini y o he social mobili y o men a he oyal
cou in he ansi ion om he i een h o he six een h cen u y. He inds
ha his model was unde going a ans o ma ion, wi h duels using weapons
s a ing o be eplaced by duels using wo ds in a chi al y ha wan ed o be
conside ed no only b a e bu also lea ned. In any case, hose who con o med
o his ambi alen chi al ic model s ill had he bes chances o being no iced
and consequen ly p omo ed by he king.21
Violence and agg ession we e no he only cha ac e is ics ha medie al
lay men – and a ew ecclesias ics – had in common, hough. Mos o hem
also expe ienced pa e ni y a some poin in hei li es. By s udying how King
Dinis ( . 1279–1325) chose he names and p o ided o he educa ion, he main-
enance and he p ope y o he many child en he a he ed, no only wi h
his wi e Queen Isabella o A agon (c. 1270–1336) bu also wi h his mis esses
( ba egãs), Ana Raquel da C uz Pa a demons a es ha imp egna ing women
and p o iding o hem and o hei child en also de ined masculini y.22
Ano he schola , Ma iana Bona T e isan, a gues ha unde lying he image o
King John I ( . 1385–1433) as a pe ec a he o his child en buil by he ch oni-
cles and mo al ea ies o he i een h cen u y was he idea ha his exempla y
a he hood made him he pe ec ule o his subjec s.23
I is hus possible o s udy women sepa a ely om men and masculini y sep-
a a ely om eminini y; bu we ge a much clea e iew o medie al socie y and
i s powe ela ions i we sc u inize he way in which hey we e cons uc ed and
a icula ed in o de o secu e male hegemony and pe pe ua e pa ia chy, as I
said a he beginning o my obse a ions. Thus, I shall dedica e he las pa o
his chap e o some ecen wo ks ha ha e o e ed his kind o sc u iny.
21 Hélde Ca alhal, “Pode , géne o e es a u o social. No as in e p e ações em o no da co e
enascen is a ao empo do Cancionei o Ge al de Ga cia de Resende,” in A e poé ica e co -
esania – o Cancionei o Ge al e isi ado, ed. Ana Ma ia Machado, Hélio J. S. Al es, Luís
Fa dilha and Ma ia G acie e Sil a (É o a: Uni e sidade de É o a, 2019), 51–74.
22 Ana Raquel da C uz Pa a, A pa e nidade na Idade Média: o caso de D. Dinis, unpublished
MA disse a ion (Lisbon: Uni e sidade de Lisboa, 2018).
23 Ma iana Bona T e isan, “Se ei, se pai: a exempla idade de D. João I na c iação dos
in an es da Íncli a Ge ação (Po ugal – Séc. XV)”, in Seminá io In e nacional Fazendo
Gêne o 10 (2013): 1–12.
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Gende ing Medie al Po ugal 21
The al eady men ioned B azilian esea che Ma iana Bona T e isan has
de eloped a consis en body o wo k in his domain. In he mas e ’s disse -
a ion she a gues ha , in o de o legi imize he new dynas y inaugu a ed in
1385 by he Mas e o he Mili a y O de o A is – la e , he al eady men ioned
King John I – a se o esou ces we e used, among which we e he ch onicles o
he doings o his king and his p edecesso s commissioned om he i s oyal
ch onicle and keepe o he oyal a chi es, Fe não Lopes, by King Edwa d
( . 1433–1438), John I’s son and successo .24 This is no a new line o in es iga-
ion, as many au ho s ha e s udied a ious aspec s o he poli ical discou se o
Lopes be o e. In 2002, o ins ance, Amélia P. Hu chinson p esen ed a doc o al
hesis on Leono Teles and he cons uc ion o emale cha ac e s in Fe não Lopes.25
She poin s ou ha Lopes ells he s o y o King Fe nando I ( . 1367–1383) and
Queen Eleano Teles (c. 1350 – c. 1391) as a agedy so as o “pin he blame”
o e e y hing ha wen w ong du ing his eign on his spouse. In he wo ds,
he King “is shown no only o be unde he spell o his wi e bu o all ic im
o he whims and be ayal”.26 Lopes accuses he Queen o adul e y, a ypical
gende ed a gumen used o delegi imize queens and hei p ogeny, in his case
delegi imizing Bea ice ( . 1383), Fe nando and Eleano ’s daugh e whom he
Mas e o A is eplaced on he h one, hough he ne e subs an ia es he accu-
sa ions. As Eleano p omo ed he ma iage o Bea ice o King John I o Cas ile
( . 1379–1390) and encou aged him o in ade Po ugal when he egency was
challenged, Lopes accuses he o being a ai o (alei osa) oo.27 Howe e , as
Queen Eleano was e en ually imp isoned and sen o Cas ile by he son-in-
law, no u he no ice was aken o he by he ch onicle .
Amélia Hu chinson also s a es ha Lopes cons uc ed Queen Philippa
o Lancas e , John l’s wi e, as he an i hesis o Queen Eleano Teles. “She is
24 Ma iana Bona T e isan, Cons ução de iden idades de gêne o e a i mação égia: Os casais
da ealeza po uguesa en e os séculos XIV e XV a pa i das c ônicas de Fe não Lopes,
unpublished MA disse a ion (Ni e ói: Uni e sidade Fede al Fluminense, 2012).
25 Amélia P. Hu chinson, Leono Teles and he cons uc ion o emale cha ac e s in Fe não
Lopes, unpublished PhD hesis (London: Uni e si y o London, 2002). I did no ha e
access o his wo k.
26 Amélia P. Hu chinson, “Punc ua ing he Na a i e: The S uc u al Func ion o Female
Cha ac e s in Fe não Lopes’ and Gomes Eanes de Zu a a’s Ch onicles,” Po uguese S udies
Re iew 13, 1–2 (2005): 6. The au ho also exp esses he iews on he cha ac e o Leono
Teles in he a icle “Leono Teles: Rep esen a ions o a Po uguese Queen”, His o ical
Re lexions/Ré léc ions His o iques 30, 1 (2004): 73–87.
27 Ano he essay on Lopes’ esponsibili y in he eme gence o he my h o Eleano Teles as
a “bad woman” is: Isabel de Pina Balei as, “O mi o da mulhe má e a his ó ia da mulhe
na polí ica,” in Rep esen ações do mi o na His ó ia e na Li e a u a, ed. Ana Luísa Vilela,
Elisa Nunes San os, Fábio Má io da Sil a and Ma ga ida Re oios (É o a: Uni e sidade de
É o a, 2014), 73–90.
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28 Rod igues
domain, he queens conso could appoin o icials, collec axes and exe cise
jus ice.48 Ye , i has been demons a ed ha hey also had plen i ul occasions
o in e ene in go e nmen a ai s: hey we e hei husbands’ ad iso s and
media ed on behal o supplican s; hey in e ened in he conduc o wa s and
nego ia ed peace; and hey illed in o he kings in he Co es (Pa liamen ) and
in he conduc o go e nmen du ing he king’ absences, among o he oles.49
In ac , hey ep esen ed mona chy as much as hei husbands and he hei o
he h one, and when a elling a ound he kingdom hey we e ea ed wi h
he same de e ence as hem.50 They used he same i les as he kings and we e
ep esen ed on seals wi h he insignia o oyal au ho i y: c owns and scep es.51
48 Manuela San os Sil a, “El seño ío u bano de las einas conso es de Po ugal (siglos XII–
XV),” in Se muje en la ciudad medie al eu opea, ed. Jesus Ángel Soló zano Telechea,
Bea iz A ízaga Bulumbu u and Amélia Aguia de And ade (Log oño: Ins i u o de
Es udios Riojanos, 2013), 271–288; Id., “Small Towns Belonging o he Medie al Queens
o Po ugal: Dis inc i eness, Taxa ion, Ju isdic ion,” in Pe i es illes eu opéennes au Bas
Moyen Âge: pe spec i es de eche che, ed. Adelaide Millán da Cos a (Lisbon: IEM – Ins i-
u o de Es udos Medie ais, 2013), 125–136; Ana Ma ia S. A. Rod igues, “La eine, la cou , la
ille au Po ugal médié al,” in La cou e la ille dans l’Eu ope du Moyen Âge e des Temps
Mode nes, ed. Léona d Cou bon and Denis Menjo (Tu nhou : B epols, 2014), 77–90.
49 Giulia Rossi Vai o, “Il p o agonismo d’Isabel d’A agona, egina del Po ogallo, nella Gue a
ci ile alla luce delle on i po oghesi, a agonesi e dei Reges a Va icana (1321–1322),” in
Reginae Ibe iae: El pode egio emenino en los einos medie ales peninsula es, ed. Miguel
Ga cía-Fe nández and Síl ia Ce nadas Ma ínez (San iago de Compos ela: Uni e si-
dade de San iago de Compos ela, 2015), 131–150; Manuela San os Sil a, “Filipa e Ca a-
lina de Lancas e e as negociações da paz de 1411 en e Po ugal e Cas ela – segundo os
c onis as po ugueses,” in La pa icipación de las muje es en lo polí ico. Mediación, e-
p esen ación y oma de decisiones, ed. Ma ía Isabel del Val Valdi ieso and C is ina Segu a
G aiño (Mad id: Al-Mudayna, 2011), 281–91; Id., “Felipa de Lancás e , la dama inglesa que
ue modelo de eginalidad en Po ugal (1387–1415),” Anua io de Es udios Medie ales 46,
1 (2016): 203–230; Isabel de Pina Balei as, “The poli ical ole o a Po uguese Queen in
la e ou een h cen u y,” in Queenship in he Medi e anean. Nego ia ing he Role o he
Queen in he Medie al and Ea ly Mode n E as, ed. Elena Woodac e (New Yo k: Palg a e
Macmillan, 2013), 97–123; Ana Ma ia S. A. Rod igues, “«Polla aynha Dona Liono mjnha
molhe que sob e odas amo e p eço». D Dua e e D. Leono de A agão: uma pa ce ia
aquém e além- úmulo,” in D. Dua e e a sua época: A e, cul u a, pode e espi i ualidade,
ed. Ca a ina Fe nandes Ba ei a and Miguel Me elo de Seixas (Lisbon: IEM – Ins i u o de
Es udos Medie ais / CLEGH – Cen o de Es udos Genealógicos, He áldicos e His ó icos,
2014) 67–83.
50 Ana Ma ia S. A. Rod igues, “A mesa, o lei o, a a ca, a mula. Como se p o ia ao sus en o e
i ine ância das ainhas de Po ugal na Idade Média,” in A mesa dos eis de Po ugal, ed.
Ana Isabel Buescu and Da id Felismino (Lisboa: Cí culo de Lei o es, 2011), 44–63.
51 Ma ia do Rosá io Ba bosa Mo ujão, “A imagem do pode no eminino: selos de ainhas
po uguesas da Idade Média,” in Reginae Ibe iae: El pode egio emenino en los einos
medie ales peninsula es, ed. Miguel Ga cía-Fe nández and Síl ia Ce nadas Ma ínez
(San iago de Compos ela: Uni e sidade de San iago de Compos ela, 2015), 89–109; Ana
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Gende ing Medie al Po ugal 29
Queens conso could also ule as egen s a e hei husbands’ dea h i he
hei o he h one was unde -age. The e was no speci ic law de e mining o
p e en ing his; ye i was o en o e ly s ipula ed in he las wills and es a-
men s o kings. I only happened, e ec i ely, wice du ing he Middle Ages,
hough; and in bo h cases he dowage queens we e e ic ed om he egency
by he b o he s o he deceased kings suppo ed by pa o he nobili y and he
oliga chy o he u ban cen es, who igo ously opposed women’s ule.52
In ac , queens conso we e much mo e app ecia ed by hei con empo a -
ies when hey abs ained om in e ening in go e nmen and con o med o
adi ional emale oles. Fo example, some o hem we e p aised o hei i -
ue and pie y o he poin o being p esen ed as po en ial sain s.53 Ch onicle s
desc ibed in g ea de ail he o iginal ea u es o hei eligiosi y, he p o ec ion
hey g an ed o he Chu ch and he poo , hei con ibu ion o he in oduc ion
o new o e o med eligious o de s in he kingdom, and hei eligious oun-
da ions, hus allowing his o ians o explo e hese dimensions o hei agency.54
All his was o en pe o med in conjunc ion wi h hei husbands and o he
Ma ia S. A. Rod igues, “Rainhas de Po ugal e do(s) Alga e(s): A in i ulação das ainhas
de Po ugal na Idade Média,” in Raízes Medie ais do B asil Mode no. Do Reino de Po u-
gal ao Reino Unido de Po ugal, B asil e Alga es, ed. Manuela Mendonça and Ma ia de
Fá ima Reis (Lisbon: Academia Po uguesa da His ó ia, 2016), 75–94: Id., “Espacios y obje-
os de pode eginal en la Edad Media: el caso po ugués,” in Au o idad, pode e in luencia:
Muje es que hacen his o ia, ed. Hena Gallego F anco and Ma ía del Ca men Ga cía He -
e o ( Ba celona: Ica ia, 2017), 35–60.
52 Ma ia Aleg ia Fe nandes Ma ques, “O papel das ainhas na consolidação do eino (Os es-
amen os dos p imei os eis de Po ugal),” Re is a Po uguesa de His ó ia 44 (2013): 79–93;
Ana Ma ia S. A. Rod igues, “Las egencias emeninas en los einos ibé icos medie ales:
¿Fue el caso po ugués una singula idad?” Anua io de Es udios Medie ales 46, 1 (2016):
301–328; Manuel F ancisco Ramos, “«Mulie ne debue i habe e egnum»: a egência na
meno idade de D. A onso V is a pelos ju is as,” Medie alis a 23 (2018): 1–33.
53 Manuela San os Sil a, “A cons ução coe a da imagem de Filipa de Lencas e como uma
«san a ainha»,” in Rep esen ações do mi o na His ó ia e na Li e a u a, ed. Ana Luísa Vilela,
Elisa Nunes San os, Fábio Má io da Sil a and Ma ga ida Re oios (É o a: Uni e sidade de
É o a, 2014), 137–147.
54 Manuela San os Sil a, “Tendências e agen es espi i uais da capela égia de D. Filipa de
Lencas e,” in Raízes Medie ais do B asil Mode no: O dens eligiosas en e Po ugal e o B a-
sil, ed. João Ma inho dos San os and Manuela Mendonça (Lisbon: Academia Po uguesa
da His ó ia – Cen o de His ó ia da Sociedade e da Cul u a, 2013), 70–81; Id., “Filipa de
Lancás e en Po ugal (1387–1415): ¿las aíces de una nue a eligiosidad?” Edad Media.
Re is a de His o ia 18 (2017): 101–117; Vanda Lou enço Menino, “A eligiosidade de uma
ainha: D. Bea iz (1293–1359),” in Géne o e in e io idade na ida eligiosa: Concei os, con-
ex os e p á icas, ed. João Luís Fon es, Ma ia Filomena And ade and Tiago Pi es Ma ques
(Lisboa: Cen o de Es udos de His ó ia Religiosa, 2017), 45–64; Ana Ma ia S. A. Rod igues,
“Isabel de Coímb a y los modelos de eligiosidad eginal en los einos ibé icos a ines de
la Edad Media,” Edad Media. Re is a de His o ia 18 (2017): 118–145.
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30 Rod igues
good o he kingdom; bu i could also be done by queens alone as a way o
enhancing hei epu a ion and inc easing hei in luence.55
The queens’ eligious pa onage was equen ly an a is ic pa onage as well:
hey p omo ed he cons uc ion o chu ches and nunne ies, and o de ed al a -
pieces and eliqua ies o dona e o hei a ou i e eligious ins i u ions, hough
hey also had c owns made and palaces buil .56 Some imes, hey b ough wi h
hem om hei o iginal kingdoms a is s, musicians and c a smen, as well as
books and a is ic pieces ha we e la e ansla ed and copied, hus con ib-
u ing o he in oduc ion o new ideas, ashions and s yles.57 The Queens con-
so s’ a is ic pa onage could again be he occasion o hem o make su e ha
hei memo y would las o e e and hey would be emembe ed as pious and
powe ul women. This is pa icula ly pa en in hei commissioning o une -
a y monumen s wi h e igies.58
To sum up, in he yea s ha ha e elapsed since he las e iew on Po uguese
medie al women’s and gende his o y was w i en, a g ea deal o esea ch
55 Mi iam Shadis, “The Fi s Queens o Po ugal and he Building o he Realm,” in Reassess-
ing he Roles o Women as “Make s” o Medie al A and A chi ec u e, ed. The ese Ma in
(Leiden: B ill, 2012), ol. 2, 671–702; Ma ia Filomena And ade, “Found esses and Pa on-
esses o Po uguese Mendican Nunne ies in he 13 h and 14 h Cen u ies: P ac ices and
Models,“ in Women’s Ne wo ks o Spi i ual P omo ion in he Peninsula Kingdoms (13 h–16 h
Cen u ies), ed. Blanca Ga í (Ba celona/Roma, IRCVM/Viella, 2013), 77–88; Ana Ma ia S. A.
Rod igues, “Spi i uali y and Religious Sponso ship in he 15 h-cen u y Po uguese C own:
Kings, Queens and In an es,” in Ibidem, 205–220; Id., “The C own, he Cou and Monas ic
Re o m in Medie al Po ugal. A Gende ed App oach,” in Queens, P incesses and Mendi-
can s. Close Rela ions in a Eu opean Pe spec i e, ed. Nikolas Jaspe and Imke Jus (Zu ich:
Li Ve lag, 2019), 53–63.
56 Ana Ma ia S. A. Rod igues, “The easu es and ounda ions o Isabel, Bea iz, Elisenda,
and Leono . The a pa onage o ou queens o Po ugal and A agon in he 14 h cen-
u y,” in Reassessing he Roles o Women as “Make s” o Medie al A and A chi ec u e, ed.
The ese Ma in (Leiden: B ill, 2012) ol. 2, 903–935.
57 Ana Ma ia S. A. Rod igues, “Royal Ma iages and he Ci cula ion o People, Objec s and
Ideas in Medie al Eu ope,” in Medie al Eu ope in Mo ion: The Ci cula ion o A is s, Images,
Pa e ns and Ideas om he Medi e anean o he A lan ic Coas (6 h–15 h cen u ies), ed.
Ma ia Alessand a Bilo a (Pale mo: O icina di S udi Medie ali, 2018), 21–29.
58 Joana Ramôa Melo, O Géne o Feminino em Discussão. Re-p esen ações da mulhe na a e
umula medie al po uguesa: p ojec os, p ocessos e ma e ializações, unpublished PhD he-
sis (Lisbon: Uni e sidade No a de Lisboa, 2012); Id., “Se ainha e se p esen e, se mulhe
e se po en e: o supos o p imei o jacen e égio po uguês e as dú idas ge adas em o no
da pe ença a D. U aca (1187–1220) ou D. Bea iz A onso (1244–1300),” in Reginae Ibe iae:
El pode egio emenino en los einos medie ales peninsula es, ed. Miguel Ga cía-Fe nán-
dez and Síl ia Ce nadas Ma ínez (San iago de Compos ela: Uni e sidade de San iago de
Compos ela, 2015), 61–88; Giulia Rossi Vai o, Dinis del Po ogallo e Isabel d’A agona in i a
e in mo e. C eazione e asmissione della memo ia nel con es o s o ico e a is ico eu opeo,
unpublished PhD hesis (Lisbon: Uni e sidade No a de Lisboa, 2014).
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Gende ing Medie al Po ugal 31
has been done on a is oc a ic women and men, especially queens, kings and
noblemen. Now, i is necessa y o u n ou a en ion o o he social g oups o
unde s and how he gende sys em wo ked in i s en i e y, no only wi hin he
highes s a a o socie y.
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