Roles Of Women In The Renaissance

Did women have a Renaissance?” Joan Kelly discovered the many contributions of women; on the other hand, they were not recognized as their male counterparts. She asked this question in her groundbreaking article in 1977. Women in the Renaissance were not only wives, mothers, and support for their husbands, but scholars that helped develop this era. Young women in the Middle Ages had to follow a religious calling, they were to marry well, be devoted to their significant others, and produce numerous heirs. Moreover, women were limited to education, they did not speak for themselves and those that tried to do so were silenced by males. Opinions were not valued and political freedoms were restricted, in particular, women were considered
Women had three choices to take for their future; they were to become a wife, a holy sister or a prostitute. To start from the beginning, the Renaissance was the first conscious creation in the study of historical writing; also, it was created as a reaction against cultures and institutions.2 Another key point, the Renaissance was a revival of European arts and of literature influenced by the classic models in the 14th – 16th centuries. This period in history was a transition from medieval times to the modern age. With this in mind, the age was dominated by men, women that wanted more freedom was often hushed, possibly from fear of males not wanting to lose their identity. Especially, to point out that women were seen as unequal. The Renaissance men were chief during this era, they ruled the households, education, by their humanist views, and with their wealth. According to Benet, it was a debate over “men who feared the loss of their traditional dominance over women, and of people who feared that changing sexual roles would bring on the disintegration of family
To start, she wrote over two thousands letters, they covered topics which included politics down to the war. For the most part, these letters were the closet to writing history by any women during this time. Not to mention, her style of fashion was copied by a countless amount of European women. Isabella dressed in the best of clothes; this consisted of furs, caps, and dresses that often emphasized her cleavage. 7 A patron for the arts, she supported poets, artists, and writers. In addition, this woman was a muse for high profile artist, for example Leonardo da Vinci and Titian. Isabella opened up her home and allowed fellow patrons of the arts to exchange their ideas. Various people with talent were appealed to come to Mantua, who, for that occasion, causing it to turn into a center of cultural. Mantua became Italy’s most famous cities for art, architecture, and for music. Likewise, her apartment was converted into a museum for collecting fine arts. Isabella was not able to obtain art on a large scale, so she collected an enormous amount of paintings and small statues, namely, she was the most famous female collector of the Renaissance. When works of art was collected, patronage activities was done, in order to show cultivation of her court that was not threating to men. To expand