DBQ Prewrite

Prompt: What were the roles of women in society in the Middle Ages? What kind of additional document (voice) would help you understand the roles of women?

_________3 Paragraph Categories_________Document #s______________3 POV ideas_____________

Thesis Statement (restates the prompt and describes your categories): _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

2 Additional Documents described AND explained (must be connected to your thesis): _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

DBQ: Women in the Middle Ages Prompt: What were the roles of women in society in the Middle Ages? What kind of additional document (voice) would help you understand the roles of women? Document 1 Jakob Sprenger and Heinrich Kramer, German clergymen and authors of The Hammer of Witches. Written during the height of witch trials in Europe. 1486. And the tears of all women are a deception, for they may spring from true grief, or they may be a snare. When a woman thinks alone, she thinks evil. . . Document 2 Yuan Tsai, a Chinese provincial magistrate (government official) in the Song Dynasty; educated in Neo-Confucian philosophy he mastered the highest exam in the bureaucratic system; from his book titled Precepts for Social Life, 1178. For women who live a long life, old age is especially hard to bear, because most women must rely on others for their existence. Before a womans marriage, a good father is even more important than a good grandfather; a good brother is even more important than a good father.. . After her marriage, a good husband is even more important than a good father-in-law; a good son is even more important than a good husband Document 3 William of Rubruck, Franciscan priest and missionary in a report (considered the first scientific and anthropological study in Asia) submitted to Louis IX of France describing the Mongols, 1255. It is the duty of the women to drive the carts, to load the houses onto them and to unload the, to milk cows, to make butter and cheese, to dress the skins and to sew them. Document 4 Ibn Battuta, Moroccan traveler, qadi, and Sufi Muslim; an observation while traveling in Maldives, Rihla 1354. It is easy to marry in these islands because of the smallness of the dowries and the pleasures of society which the women offer... When the ships put in, the crew marry; when they intend to leave they divorce their wives. This is a kind of temporary marriage. The women of these islands never leave their country." Document 5 Nawawi, 1233-1278 A Syrian imam, a religious scholar and teacher; an interpreter of the Quran and Hadith. . . .a man is a steward in respect of his household, a woman is a steward in respect of her husbands house and his children. Thus everyone of you is a steward and is accountable for that which is committed to his charge. Document 6 Zhou Daguan, Chinese envoy and high ranking member of a delegation sent to Cambodia by Kubilai Khan. Written in a 1297 report to the emperor, after a year long stay. In Cambodia, women attend to trade. Even a Chinese who arrives there and takes a woman will profit greatly from her trading abilities. They do not have permanent stores, but simply spread a piece of mat on the ground. Everyone has her own spot.

Document 7 Harem of concubines in the Ottoman Empire. Artist unknown.

Document 8 Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant, world traveler for nearly 30 years, and diplomat for Kubilai Khan as dictated to Rustichello of Pisa while spending a year as a prisoner of war, 1298. the [Mongol] men devote their time totally to hunting, hawking, and warfare. ...They are brave warriors, placing little value on their lives and exposing themselves to every sort of danger. It is the women who tend to their commercial concerns, buying and selling, and who tend to all the needs of their husbands and households. . .Their women are unexcelled in the world so far as their chastity and decency of conduct are concerned and also in regard to their love and devotion towards their husbands. Document 9 Kekaumeno; a Byzantine general. In his oration entitled Strategikon, he offers advice on warfare and the handling of public and domestic affairs, based on his own personal experience and drawing upon numerous historical examples from the events of the 11th century. "Keep your daughters as prisoners, confined and inconspicuous". Document 10 Muhammed, prophet of Islam. From the Hadith (words and deeds of Muhammed) as recorded by his followers between 622-632. "The Prophet said: 'I was shown the Hell Fire and the majority of its dwellers were women who are disbelievers or ungrateful.' When asked what they were ungrateful for, the Prophet answered, 'All the favors done for them by their husbands.'"