Medieval History Commons^™

Hi-01 The Loves & Controversies Of Wallada Bint Al-Mustakfi, Livingston Hawkins Iii, Ethan G. Birney

SC Upstate Research Symposium

Wallada bint al-Mustakfi (1001-1091) is best known as a poet from the early High Middle Ages. Living in Islamic Spain, Wallada was the daughter of Muhammad III, a Cordoban ruler. Her poetry often discussed love in the abstract, as well as her specific relationships. Nine of her poems have been preserved, and eight of those nine are about Ibn Zaydún, who is often seen as the greatest love of her life. As the sole heir to her father and as a prominent female writer, Wallada transgressed some cultural and societal norms in a variety of ways. However, she also fulfilled …

Elite Women In The Mediterranean 31 Bc – 1380 Ad: An Investigation Into Female Agency, Identity, And Patriarchy Across Classical And Christian Paradigms, Julia Maurer

Capstone Showcase

This paper explores the responses of elite women to patriarchal regimes across the Classical Pagan and Medieval Christian paradigms in the Mediterranean from 31 BC to 1380 AD. While the current historiography acknowledges the radical differences between the two worldviews fundamental to the core values of Western Civilization, an investigation of three women that can be taken to be emblematic examples of the periods in which they lived reveals a striking continuity in the nuanced social roles available to women. This continuity contradicts expectations of significant changes reflective of this revolutionary paradigm shift.

I utilize Julia Augusti, Vibia Perpetua, and …