Margaret Paston: The Role Of Women In Late Medieval England

In Late Medieval England, women mainly occupied three roles: matchmaker, home caretaker, and baby maker. Though not fully restricted to the domestic sphere, political involvement of women was limited. The queen was an exception to this rule, yet she too had standards she was expected to meet. It was during the turbulent era of the Wars of the Roses that these common feminine roles were developed in and through the lives of Margaret Paston, Elizabeth Woodville, and most of all, Margaret of Anjou. The primary cause for a more prominent role of women in political society had everything to do with the chaos resulting in the Wars of the Roses. In the case of Margaret Paston, her husband, John, spent most of his time away from home trying to regain and stabilize claims to the Paston estate. A neighboring powerful noble family, the Moleyns, exercised their claim on the land, invaded the estate twice and displaced
As early as 1448, this was a standing issue. Margaret Paston writes her husband asking for weapons and detailing the wartime protective measures enacted within the house. She describes how “it is told me they have made bars to cross the doors cross wise, and they have made wickets on every quarter of the house to shoot out at…” As the war drew on, these measures became more necessary due to the Paston’s increased involvement in the War of the Roses in support of the Yorkists. In the ten years after the conflict between the Moleyns, Cade’s Rebellion in 1450 was quickly followed by the Duke of York gaining power in England. This benefited the Pastons because it raised their status in Norfolk, furthered by their close connection with Sir John Fastolf, a local nobleman. In 1459, Fastolf willed his estate entire to the Pastons, which, while benefitting them immensely, also led to decades of