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Jan 1, 651
The Establishment of the Qu'ran
The establishment of the Qu'ran, the sacred book of Islam, changed much of women's rights for better and for worse. It improved the security of women in Arabian society; outlawed female infanticide & ruled that dowries go to brides; not husbands. It described women as honorable individuals equal to men, not property. Both the Qu'ran and sharia emphasixed male dominance. Social customs were influeced by Islamic beliefs (ie, polygamy; public veiling of women). Both sexes are equal in Allah's eyes. -
Jan 17, 700
Wu Zhao- Empress of China
One incredible event during the T'ang Dynasty was the rise of Wu Zhao, who became the first and only Empress of China at the death of her husband, Emperor Gaozong. An able ruler, she was both ruthless toward her adversaires and compassionate toward her peasants. Generally, as societies became more urban and wealthy, women, especially those of the elite, had their freedoms further restricted even as their status in society rose. This is obviously the contrary in the case of Wu Zhao. -
Jun 1, 1000
The Tale of Genji
Changes in the status and role of women included access to more education as societies continued to prosper and interact. This is true of the Confucian cultures of China and Japan, where women were highly literate and expected to understand proper virtue and their role in the household. One example of this type of woman is Murasaki Shikibu, who wrote The Tale of Genji. It's one of the first notable contributions to literature in the Japanese language. -
Jan 18, 1100
Elanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204)
Troubadours traveled from one aristocratic court to another during the late 12th &13th centuries; noblewomen rewarded them for reciting verses that celebrated passionate love between a man &a woman. Troubadours flocked to Poitiers where Elanor of Aquitaine liberally supported romantic poets & entertainers. Elanor was the most celebrated woman of her day, &she used her influence to encourage good manners, refinement, &romantic love. Over a long term the chivalry softened nobility. -
Jan 17, 1200
Foot Binding 900-1200
Highly patriarchal, Chinese men considered women inferior, and like European men of the Middle Ages, they considered a woman's beauty and femininity as virtues worth protecting. The practice of foot binding placed women of privileged classes under tight supervision of their husbands or other male guardians, who then managed the women's affairs in the interests of the larger family. -
Jan 17, 1400
Margery Kempe
Changes in the status & role of women included access to more education as societies continued to prosper & interact. One woman that exemplifies this is Margery Kempe who is famous for dictating The Book of Margery Kempe, a work considered by some to be the first autobiography in the english language. This book chronicles her boundless pilgrimages to different holy sites in Europe and Asia, as well as her mystical discussions with God. -
Jan 17, 1500
Sati
Restrictions on women's freedoms depended on which caste or class they belonged to; this continued from the previous time period.One Indian custom which exemplifies this is the practice of sati. It demonstratedc the dependence of women on their men. Sati is when a widow voluntarily threw herself on the funeral pyre of her deceased husban to join him in death. Usually only widows of socially prominent men would participate in sati because their example would have a greater affect on people. -
Veiling of Women 500-1000
When Islam expanded into the Byzantine and Sasanid empires, it encountered strong patriarchal traditions, and Muslims quickly adopted long-standing customs such as the veiling of women. As a sign of modesty, upper-class urban women covered their faces and ventured outside their homes only in the company of servants or chaperones to dispirt the attention of men from other families. The Qu'ran was the superior source of authority in the world of Islam; providing specific rights for Muslim women.
