

Being Jewish, Virdimura was educated in food discipline and personal care according to the ancient Jewish precepts. Her medical licence allowed her to carry out these tasks. Virdimura dedicated herself to taking care of the women, as well as the poor and needy.
#Women in medieval europe archive#
Her degree is kept in the State Archive of Palermo. Virdimura became the first woman in history to obtain a degree in medicine on 7 November 1376.


Life expectancy improved gradually during this period, too, mainly due to the improvement of nutrition.Although women often lost their lives during childbirth, some of them survived and were able to live as long as their husbands. Obstetrics was practised in an informal way, gradually becoming a specialised occupation in the late Middle Ages.However, there are also registered examples of women engaged in a business other than that of their husband. A large number of marriages were facilitated by the fact that many jobs took place in or in the immediate vicinity of the home. In addition, married women were also generally required to assist their husbands in various farming and craft activities.This was a form of work that could easily be carried out at home. Until the introduction of beer made with hops, this drink was produced mostly by women.Spinning was also one of the many female craft traditions.Figures like Hilda of Whitby were able to acquire influence on a national and even international scale. In such a way, they had the possibility of acquiring significant power.Abbesses could become important personalities, often governing both male and female monasteries and maintaining private ownership of land.From the 5th century onwards, Christian convents allowed women to escape the social obligations represented by marriage and the raising of children, allowing them to educate themselves and become literate whilst performing a religious role.With the establishment of Christian monasticism, roles within the Church community also became available to women.However, some women were able to become important figures and held a certain prestige within the fields of medicine and religion. Women in the Middle Ages were mostly subordinate to men.
