WOMEN IN KIEVAN RUS

1
WOMEN IN KIEVAN RUS
2
WOMEN IN KIEVAN RUS

• TRADITIONAL VIEWS SOURCES
• Most sources relatively silent about women
• Princess Olga singular exception

Princess Olga burning the Drevlians
3
WOMEN IN KIEVAN RUS

• ATTITUDES ABOUT WOMEN
• Pre-Christian society
• Women afforded power/respect through
  reproductive role
• Some matrilineal tribes
• But men still controlled society

4
WOMEN IN KIEVAN RUS

• ATTITUDES ABOUT WOMEN
• Christian Kiev
• Increased subjugation misogyny
• Church promoted 2 views
• GOOD women
• EVIL women

5
WOMEN IN KIEVAN RUS

• PATRIARCHAL STRUCTURE
• Establishment of state brought public private
  hierarchy
• All people loyal subjects of Grand Prince
• Women children had similar obligation to men
• Men received major social, political, economic
  benefits

6
WOMEN IN KIEVAN RUS

• PATRIARCHAL STRUCTURE
• Traditional interpretation Men ran show, women
  excluded from public life
• Women inferior subordinate
• Assumed women accepted inferiority
• Relegated to domesticity

7
WOMEN IN KIEVAN RUS

• SOURCES OF WOMENS POWER/FREEDOM
• Reproductive roles
• Complete control over childbirth childrearing
• Still much association with magic/sorcery

8
WOMEN IN KIEVAN RUS
SOURCES OF WOMENS POWER/FREEDOM

• Economic roles
• Labor essential to survival of peasant household
  
• Could run estates/businesses in absence of
  husbands
• Often controlled household finances

9
WOMEN IN KIEVAN RUS

• SOURCES OF WOMENS POWER/FREEDOM
• Sexuality
• Womens sexuality controlled but protected
• All rape victims compensated directly/ burden of
  proof on accused
• Loss of virginity did not make women
  unmarriageable

10
WOMEN IN KIEVAN RUS

• SOURCES OF WOMENS POWER/FREEDOM
• Property rights
• Had own inheritance portions
• Provisions made for widows
• Could buy, sell, own land slaves

11
WOMEN IN KIEVAN RUS

• SOURCES OF WOMENS POWER/FREEDOM
• Elder womens rights
• Accorded much respect, authority, prestige
• Had complete authority over other women in
  household
• Could become head of household (in absence of
  male)

12
WOMEN IN KIEVAN RUS

• SOURCES OF WOMENS POWER/FREEDOM
• Other sources
• Folk healers
• Convents
• Resistance to male authority