Do you think that aristocratic women were powerless in medieval society?
No. Medieval wives of the aristocracy were often left in charge of large estates while their husbands were away, and had to be responsible for overseeing everything, settling disputes among tenants, keeping the accounts, etc. They certainly had power over the people under them, and could command their servants, tenants, men at arms etc. Some women were powerful in their own right, like for instance Matilda of Canossa, countess of Tuscany, who ruled over a large portion of Italy in her own right in the 11th-early 12th century. She studied warfare as a girl and took the side of the Pope in his war with the Holy Roman Emperor. As well as being a warrior, she was known for her generous contributions to charities, including large donations of land and money to towns and monasteries, contributions to the building of cathedrals, and the founding of the school of Jurisprudence at Bologna. Royal women sometimes attained positions of power as regents for sons too young to rule, as was the case w
