Women and Their Role as Literary Patrons in Chivalric Culture

The perception of the role of women in medieval sources is largely shaped by gender stereotypes, whether in literature or historical sources. However, with the emergence of the so-called chivalric society and culture women experienced a certain change in their social status and role that is visible to us in the sources. Namely, women within the chivalric society formed a part of the target audience for chivalric themes, while the female characters who appeared in the stories represented a framework for what was expected of members of that society depending on their gender, social status and role. By presenting examples of women who acted as patrons of historical and literary works, this paper will demonstrate how the medieval chivalric society viewed the position of women as well as detect the mechanisms for surpassing their socially imposed role.