TY - BOOK ID - 602362 TI - The beguines of Medieval Paris : gender, patronage and spiritual authority PY - 2014 SN - 9780812246070 0812246071 1322512523 0812209680 0812224116 PB - Philadelphia, Pa University of Pennsylvania Press DB - UniCat KW - Christian religious orders KW - anno 1200-1499 KW - Paris KW - Beguines KW - Women in Christianity KW - Monastic and religious life of women KW - Béguines KW - Femmes dans le christianisme KW - Vie religieuse et monastique féminine KW - History KW - Histoire KW - Béguines KW - Vie religieuse et monastique féminine KW - Monasticism and religious orders for women KW - Third orders KW - Beghards KW - Brethren of the Free Spirit KW - Christianity KW - Monastic life KW - Spiritual life KW - Gender Studies. KW - History. KW - Medieval and Renaissance Studies. KW - Religion. KW - Religious Studies. KW - Women's Studies. UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:602362 AB - In the thirteenth century, Paris was the largest city in Western Europe, the royal capital of France, and the seat of one of Europe's most important universities. In this vibrant and cosmopolitan city, the beguines, women who wished to devote their lives to Christian ideals without taking formal vows, enjoyed a level of patronage and esteem that was uncommon among like communities elsewhere. Some Parisian beguines owned shops and played a vital role in the city's textile industry and economy. French royals and nobles financially supported the beguinages, and university clerics looked to the beguines for inspiration in their pedagogical endeavors. The Beguines of Medieval Paris examines these religious communities and their direct participation in the city's commercial, intellectual, and religious life.Drawing on an array of sources, including sermons, religious literature, tax rolls, and royal account books, Tanya Stabler Miller contextualizes the history of Parisian beguines within a spectrum of lay religious activity and theological controversy. She examines the impact of women on the construction of medieval clerical identity, the valuation of women's voices and activities, and the surprising ways in which local networks and legal structures permitted women to continue to identify as beguines long after a church council prohibited the beguine status. Based on intensive archival research, The Beguines of Medieval Paris makes an original contribution to the history of female religiosity and labor, university politics and intellectual debates, royal piety, and the central place of Paris in the commerce and culture of medieval Europe. ER -