The Medieval Women Who Ran Businesses, Won Lawsuits, and Refused to Be Pushed Out

About this episode

This episode explores the lives of four medieval women who successfully navigated a male-dominated legal system to build careers and achieve recognition.

History says medieval women were powerless. Some of them knew exactly where the power was and went and got it. In this episode I'm looking at four women who built careers, won lawsuits, and left things behind that still exist today, all inside a legal system that was stacked against them. Katherine Fenkyll ran one of the most active cloth businesses in Tudor London for thirty years, negotiated with guilds and cardinals, and took people to court over bad silk. Rose de Burford chased Edward II for an unpaid debt five times while simultaneously producing embroidered vestments for the Pope. Alice Chester took over her late husband's international shipping operation and donated the first crane to the Port of Bristol. And Joan Bradbury founded a school in Saffron Walden that is still open today. None of them were rebels. They were just very good at finding the gaps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Heather Teysko

Topics covered

• medieval women
• business
• lawsuits
• Tudor history
• women's empowerment
• legal system

Keywords

• medieval women
• business
• lawsuits
• Tudor London
• women's history
• empowerment
• legal system

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Edward II

Places: Tudor London, Port of Bristol, Saffron Walden

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