Become a Readings Member to make your shopping experience even easier. Sign in or sign up for free!

Become a Readings Member. Sign in or sign up for free!

Hello Readings Member! Go to the member centre to view your orders, change your details, or view your lists, or sign out.

Hello Readings Member! Go to the member centre or sign out.

Royal Childbirth in the Middle Ages
Hardback

Royal Childbirth in the Middle Ages

$77.99
Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to your wishlist.

In 1441, Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester, was convicted of trying to bring about King Henry VI`s death through witchcraft. Her defence was that she had simply tried to become pregnant with the help of a well-known wise woman, using sorcery only for this aim. While one of the most widely publicised cases of such a fertility treatment, it was certainly not the only one in the Middle Ages. In fact, due to the lack of knowledge surrounding not only fertility but also pregnancies and birth, there was a flourishing market offering spiritual and secular aids. This book provides a history of the concerns and the common problems for women struggling with fertility problems, being pregnant and giving birth, and looks especially at the religious and societal ramifications of these issues. AUTHOR: Michele Schindler is a language teacher for children and adults, teaching English and German as a second language. She also reads and writes French and Latin. Her degree was in English Studies and History, focusing on medieval studies, particularly fifteenth-century England and France. She is the author of Lovell Our Dogge (Amberley, 2019), De la Pole, Father and Son (Amberley, 2022) and Mental Health in Late Medieval England (Pen & Sword, 2025). She has also written and self-published a novella, The Autumn Baron and a charity anthology, Yorkist Stories, which raised money for Doctors Without Borders. 15 b/w illustrations

Read More
In Shop
Out of stock
Shipping & Delivery

$9.00 standard shipping within Australia
FREE standard shipping within Australia for orders over $100.00
Express & International shipping calculated at checkout

MORE INFO
Format
Hardback
Publisher
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Country
United Kingdom
Date
30 January 2026
Pages
224
ISBN
9781399099813

In 1441, Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester, was convicted of trying to bring about King Henry VI`s death through witchcraft. Her defence was that she had simply tried to become pregnant with the help of a well-known wise woman, using sorcery only for this aim. While one of the most widely publicised cases of such a fertility treatment, it was certainly not the only one in the Middle Ages. In fact, due to the lack of knowledge surrounding not only fertility but also pregnancies and birth, there was a flourishing market offering spiritual and secular aids. This book provides a history of the concerns and the common problems for women struggling with fertility problems, being pregnant and giving birth, and looks especially at the religious and societal ramifications of these issues. AUTHOR: Michele Schindler is a language teacher for children and adults, teaching English and German as a second language. She also reads and writes French and Latin. Her degree was in English Studies and History, focusing on medieval studies, particularly fifteenth-century England and France. She is the author of Lovell Our Dogge (Amberley, 2019), De la Pole, Father and Son (Amberley, 2022) and Mental Health in Late Medieval England (Pen & Sword, 2025). She has also written and self-published a novella, The Autumn Baron and a charity anthology, Yorkist Stories, which raised money for Doctors Without Borders. 15 b/w illustrations

Read More
Format
Hardback
Publisher
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Country
United Kingdom
Date
30 January 2026
Pages
224
ISBN
9781399099813