(Could Women Be Independent in the Middle Ages? The Case of Hildegard of Bingen)

Abstract: The Middle Ages are considered a very misogynistic era. However, the case of Hildegard of Bingen shows that even then women could excel in independence. The list of terms that describe Hildegard of Bingen is long: mystic, visionary, prophetess, artist, poet, theologian, Sibyl of the Rhine are just some of them. She was an extraordinary person. She fascinates us with the breadth of her interests that go beyond the times in which she lived. She was the only woman of the Middle Ages to teach publicly and the first to obtain the Pope’s permission to write theological works. She was characterized by leadership qualities, stubbornness, determination in pursuing the chosen goal. She assigned herself the role of a vassal carrying out the mission entrusted by God. She instructed the rulers and disciplined the popes in the most misogynistic of the epochs. She had a lot of strength to go against the will of her superiors and to carry out her plans. On the occasion of the eight hundredth anniversary of her death, John Paul II called her a light for people who shines brighter today than ever, and in 2012 she was proclaimed a doctor of the Church.

Authors: Szczap, Agnieszka

DOI: 10.17846/CL.2023.16.2.36-44

Publication order reference: Agnieszka Szczap, PhD.; University of Zielona Gora, Institut of Philosophy, Wojska Polskiego 71A street, 65-762 Zielona Góra, Poland; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; ORCID ID: 0000-0002-8030-5888

Source: Konštatínove listy, 2023, vol.: 16, issue: 2, pages: 36-44 (PDF file)

Keywords: WOMAN, MIDDLE AGES, MYSTICISM, HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, INDEPENDENCE

Language: POLISH

Recommended Citation:
Szczap, Agnieszka. 2023. Czy w średniowieczu kobiety mogły być niezależne? Przypadek Hildegardy z Bingen [Could Women Be Independet in the Middle Ages? The Case of Hildegard of Bingen]. In Konštantínove listy [Constantine’s Letters] 16/2, 36-44.