The History of Magna Carta

The Magna Carta was drafted in England in 1215. According to Justin Champion, the document was originally created as a way to combat the English King John's abuses of power against his subjects; these abuses included the levying of unjust taxes, the illegal detainment of subjects, and the holding of hostages, especially women. King John's barons drafted the Magna Carta as a way to stop these abuses and prevent civil war. The 63 clauses of the Magna Carta outline rights such as the freedoms of the Church, the rights of trial by peers, and freedom from illegal detention. While it is celebrated as an immensely important historical document, the original form of the Magna Carta only last a short time before King John and the Pope disregarded the document, essentially returning to open war with his subjects. 

Source: Magna Carta Trust

Scott Alan Metzger also discusses the historical context of the Magna Carta. As he points out, in the short term, the Magna Carta failed to preserve peaceful conditions between King John and his subjects. In fact, many English subjects prepared for war and even invited a rival French prince to take the English throne; a conflict was only prevent because of King John's conveniently timed death. However, in the long term, the document proved to be an agreement for just and limited government.

Historically, the Magna Carta has proven to be a very popular document. In fact, it was widely disseminated at the time of its creation; over 40 copies were made for distribution to the regions of England. In 1225, Henry III reissued a revised Magna Carta to show his intention to rule in a benign and consensual way. The document was reissued again in 1297 and 1300. Since 1225, the document has been reissued more than 30 times by successive monarchs, usually as a sign of their good intentions to rule. 

The Magna Carta has reemerged throughout history in times when peace is needed. For example, the principles set forth in the document can be seen as being embodied in the Glorious Revolution and the Bill of Rights of 1688-89 in England, in the framing of the newly created American government in the 1700s, and even in the 21st century struggle for new constitutions in Ecuador. 

All in all, the Magna Carta was the first document of its kind in that it detailed written constraints on royal authority. The principles set forth in the Magna Carta have since been written into English law and have inspired governments around the world. Moreover, throughout history, the Magna Carta has come to be seen as a means for legitimizing protest against illegal or arbitrary governmental practices. In fact, the document has become a universal symbol of freedom all over the world. 

Social Workers as “Peace Weavers”

A peace weaver is always multitasking 

     In Anglo Saxon epic poems, such as Beowulf, they mention women as being “peace weavers” high-born woman who marries to make peace or keep the peace between powerful dynasties and tribes. The role of peace weavers were vital and included not only keeping the home but being protectors of all those who lived there. Some ways they did this were by graciously hosting events, honoring each visitor with respect and courtesy and even being given in marriage as a human treaty between two nations. The women were also tasked with physically and emotionally defending what was theirs, some women even trained armies and took them to war, as in the case of Aethelflaed. She has been described as 'our greatest woman-general,one of the most effective leaders we ever had, who commanded troops for eightyears of decisive warfare, and ruled a country as well.  In Beowulf, Queen Wealhtheow, in her speech welcoming Beowulf and his compatriots, spoke of the reinforcement of social unity, and the authority needed to ensure it. Women would intercede in negotiations and urge men toward reconciliation with speech and encouragement. These were women of substance, grace, eloquence and would stop at nothing to protect the human rights of all in their care.

     As a social worker we are tasked with the emotional and physical protection and empowerment of our clients. We are advocates for peace and will use our words, actions and resources to help our clients forge the best life possible. We not only focus on the client in front of is but consider the entire vulnerable populations. We attack big picture issues like policy changes, protection of human rights and social justice. We care for people who we barely know but treat them as they are our number one priority-because they are. We are governed by several documents but the largest of them is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document covers all the basic rights people should be afforded, but not always are. In the case of being peace weavers, social workers strive every day to make lives better by empowerment, advocacy and the pursuit of equality.

    As the peace weavers in Anglo Saxon literature, social workers are on the front lines trying to improve lives. We fight for each client we have as well as being politically active to affect change on a policy level. So the role of women in Anglo-Saxon society, at least according to Beowulf, is far from simple or marginalized; from brokering peace to reminding the men of their vows and pledges, women are the “‘mortar that cements the bricks;’ they facilitate relationships among men. If we compare policy changes to treaties between warring tribes and the gracious protection of all members of the household and guests to the dedication and empowerment of our clients, social workers are the modern day peace weavers.

Wool: The Staple of Fashion Medieval England

The process of dying added amazing pops of color to wool.

The art of wool weaving created a demand for this specific commodity specifically clothing. Wool became a style and a want of many English during the medieval time period. Fashion and a certain look became a desire and thus the birth of wool trend. The way wool was gathered, created, and sold wasa diligent process. England terrain and climate was perfect for rearing sheep.When sheep are first sheered the wool is raw and dirty. From England it would be sent to France where they process and clean the wool. The French had expertise in purifying, bleaching, and dying fabric. Later the English gained more knowledge and they no longer needed to export wool for cleaning and coloring. Many people had to take part in combing the wool after it returned from France. Mainly housewives would comb the wool through and through and this also helped clean it. English also learned from the French how to weave the wool into cloth. Using tools like the spinning wheel that wove the wool intofabric that could be used to make different types of garments and yarns. The most efficient spinning wheels were closest to running waterways that would power the wheel to make it fast moving. This is clear use of hydropower that the medieval English used to their advantage. After the fabric was woven it could be dyed further. Colors started as basic in the early medieval era, but over time they learned more tricks and vibrant colors. They used certain plants, flowers, insects, and fruits to create dyes. Red was the hardest dye to obtain therefore making it the most desirable color of wool. Blue was in abundance and more common. Some times patterns or multiple colors could be incorporated to create a design for richer folk. Colorful fashion became a popular trend to those who could afford it.

The specific type of textile and garments wore would signifywhich social class an individual belonged to in Medieval England. In that way fashion is similar to today how we can tell who is wealthy by the quality of what they’re wearing and how they look. Oppositely in the medieval era social classes specifically lower classes were restricted by Lords in which textiles they could don and how much they could spend on apparel. Craftsmen were not permitted to buy any clothing that was more than 4 shillings in price. Also they were not allowed to wear silk and cloth that was silver or gold colored. Wool made a large impact on society as a whole. It took part in the manufacturing and trade sector of medieval England. It created jobs, fashion, trade, art and more. Everyone could wear wool no matter the class. It was all in how they wore it and created their own sense of style.

Blurred Lines: History, Literature, the Exeter Book, and the Sexual Climate of Medieval England

The Exeter Book was written primarily for entertainment, and was certainly not intended to be a historical document. Yet in my previous blog posts we see it utilized in obtaining a historical perspective of marriage and as a historical record of writing complexity in the Middle Ages. Obtaining history through literature and garnering literary significance from history are fascinating processes. By highlighting the interplay of literature and history while examining the fun and risqué topic of the sexual climate of Medieval England, I hope to demonstrate how inseparable these fields truly are.

Man and Woman on Scale of Justice
(Image taken from fusion.net)

History is critical to literature in that it provides a frame within which we can read and understand literary works. In the absence of such a frame, many works become confusing if read from the viewpoint of our current cultural paradigm. The sexual climate of Medieval England was not very favorable for women. Women had few rights in marriage and men essentially dominated over their wives. In an article by history professor Dr. Butler on Runaway Wives in Medieval England we learn that during this time period wife-beating was somewhat common. There are several documented cases of women running away from their marriages and homes due to abusive husbands and poor sexual compatibility. In such cases, some husbands would take their wives to court to compel them to return home (and then submit to their will). This historical information about the culture and rights of women in this time period enables us to understand what is described in some of the Exeter book elegies.

Dr. Carol Jamison explains how the elegy The Wife’s Lament is about an exogamous bride who was given for marriage outside of her clan in an effort to form political ties and to solidify peace. Here we see a woman being objectified and used as a bargaining chip. She later goes on to explain that in the Wulf and Eadwacer elegy a similar marital situation occurs. She notes multiple instances in which the narrator pleads for peace for fear that her son may be taken from her. This not only shows that the woman’s son has been objectified, but also demonstrates that she did not have a choice in her sexual partner, as she was forced into a marriage which resulted in a child. When viewed thru today’s cultural lens, the concept of forcing a woman to marry someone is incomprehensible. It is only by employing history that we obtain the cultural frame within which to read such works.

Just as history contributes to literature by providing a frame, literature gives back to history by providing fine details. While history can make broad statements such as “it was unacceptable to publically discuss or write about sexual acts,” literature lets us see how this played out and how writers were able to push boundaries. Enter the Exeter Book riddles. In a journal article entitled, Playing Upon Words, II, medieval literary scholar Eric Gerald Stanley examines the wordplay found in various Exeter book riddles. Stanley specifically focuses on double entendres, and notes that these riddles containing both sexual and innocent meanings are crafted in such a way that the sexual meaning is the first that comes to mind, while the innocent meaning must be searched for. Given that it was more likely for men to own and read literary works during this period, these riddles provided a way for men to derive enjoyment from sexual themes with the protection of an innocent “real meaning.”

History and Literature work together to paint the picture of the sexual climate in Medieval England. History tells us that women had few rights, while literature shows how the lack of rights played out. History tells us that sex was bad to talk or write about, while literature shows just how much one could get away with writing. Together, these disciplines paint the picture that discussions of sex were considered indecent, and that women did not have many rights to their own bodies.


Note: I concede that there is a bit of a logical flaw in this article. The historical source in this article is primarily aimed at the time period a few hundred years after the Exeter book was written. Initially I had hoped to demonstrate the consistencies across a period of several hundred years, however this comes across as a logical jump rather than a valid demonstration and may be confusing to the reader. As such this piece should be treated as a starting point for further thought and research on the part of the reader, rather than a conclusive article on the subject. 

Medieval Lives at Stake: Leprosy

The Black Death contains much grey areas and information varies based on critics due to factors such as insufficient amount of primary accounts. (Atlas, 2009, p. 250). However, along with the endless amount of death, whether or not all of them could be accounted to in effect of the Black Death according to these critics, leprosy contains much more factual information that leads to a reconsideration of how individuals looked at illnesses at in Medieval England, and specifically the treatment and hospital formation.

Medieval society viewed this disease quite differently, even though the effects could be horrific including skin lesions and raised tumors. In fact, “Leprosy never spread rapidly because a majority in any population grouphave a natural immunity to the disease” (Miller & Smith-Sage, 2006, p. 26). Additionally, at this time the health of individuals was not only at stake, but also was handled differently than during Black Death epidemic and more solutions were available.

Miller & Smith-Sage, the International Social Science Review, argue the significant of fully understanding this disease and not the myths associated with it. These critics stress how individuals, specifically Christian Society’s, criticized the help given to those suffering from leprosy. Additionally, these critics provide valuable insights about the formation of medieval hospices at this time to specifically care for these individuals, which further proves a significant increase in health care.   

Another crucial aspect of the health care advancement that is often criticized is the isolation of those who had leprosy from society; however, Victoria Sweet’s review on Leprosy in Medieval England by Carole Rawcliffe ultimately defends the need to the isolation. Sweet indicates, “Themedieval policy toward leprosy demonstrated that isolation could be aneffective solution for dealing with infectious illness” (Sweet, 2008, p. 476). Therefore, one must take into consideration the need for this successful intervention. Additionally, the establishment of the medieval leper hospital only further protected society, which is also seen in today’s society. The establishment of these health care entities created a great amount of progress for these individuals and furthermore, defends the treatment of leprosy was not a form of punishment, but a form of protection in hospice of a leper hospital to protect all medieval individuals. Further details in this scholar’s review examine additionally the medieval practices inside the hospitals and goes into explaining the process of being admitted to a hospital as not mandatory, and extremely regulated. Ultimately, with leprosy in Medieval England the establishment of necessary and successful care, such as hospices, was established.