1. As the Middle Ages in Western Europe drew to a close, the variety of women’s
occupations narrowed, as several important trades became monopolized by male
craftsmen. What made it possible for this to happen? What were some of the social and
economic forces that allowed men to push women out of these occupations?
2. Put yourself in their shoes.
What would you have done if you were a woman and
related to Anna Pappenheimer?
Would you have come to her (and her family’s) defense
or not?
3.Include in your answer what you’ve learned about the effects of the witchcraze
on womens lives and their relationships with others.
Do you think the new Protestant religion and its ideas about human nature, an
individuals relationship to God, and about companionate marriage resulted in a net
gain or net loss for women?In other words, did Protestantism improve womens lives
overall? When formulating your response, you may wish to consider education and
literacy rates; changing ideas about marriage, motherhood, and celibacy; and the push
to eliminate the beguine communities. Again be specific! What changed for the
better? What changed for the worse?
4.The official Catholic position regarding womens monastic and service traditions shifted
over the course of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
In what ways did this remake
life in womens religious communities?
What sorts of options were available to women
who wished to escape the marital claim and devote their life to God? (e.g., Did these
opportunities expand or contract? Did the communities gain more independence? Did
they become more insular and isolated?)
