The descriptions of the female aristocracy in the age of Lothar I differ somewhat from those of the preceding and following age: in general, women do not appear on the scene as a source of conflict or scandal, but instead seem to hide behind a stereotyped and aseptic image. This seems to apply especially to Lothar I’s bride, Ermengard. However, a broader analysis shows that, in practice, the empress’s political interventions greatly contributed to the acceptance of Lothar in the vast imperial space. Conversely, the control of women’s behaviour was a very important issue in defining Lothar’s imperial authority. This is shown by his decision to punish the nun Gerberga of Chalon-sur-Saône and to increase the protection around the royal nunnery of Santa Maria Teodota in Pavia. In the age of Lothar, the imperial power over women underlines his ability to potentially avoid the problems linked to the impurity of women’s bodies, their sexuality and the political turmoil.
University of Padua, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0001-8634-9809
Titolo del capitolo
Lothar I and the visibility of the female aristocracy
Autori
Maria Cristina La Rocca
Lingua
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0771-3.05
Opera sottoposta a peer review
Anno di pubblicazione
2025
Copyright
© 2025 Author(s)
Licenza d'uso
Licenza dei metadati
Titolo del libro
Aristocratic networks. Elites and social dynamics in Italy in the age of Lothar I
Curatori
Giuseppe Albertoni, Manuel Fauliri, Leonardo Sernagiotto
Opera sottoposta a peer review
Numero di pagine
350
Anno di pubblicazione
2025
Copyright
© 2025 Author(s)
Licenza d'uso
Licenza dei metadati
Editore
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0771-3
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0770-6
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0771-3
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-0773-7
Collana
Reti Medievali E-Book
ISSN della collana
2704-6362
e-ISSN della collana
2704-6079