Women's History Commons^™

"Would To God Each Town Had Also A Girls' School" : New Views Of Women's Education From Luther And Vives, Malia R. Marshall

Young Historians Conference

In the early 1500s, Europe went through a time of rapidly changing ideas as a result of the rise of the humanist movement and Protestant Reformation. What did leading humanists and reformers believe about women's education? More importantly, how did their writings change the way Europeans viewed women's education? By examining the writings of humanist Juan Luis Vives and reformer Martin Luther, this paper argues that while both men countered misogynistic ideas of the day in support of women's education, Luther separated himself from humanist educators by suggesting that both women and men needed to be educated for their salvation, …