Royal Childbirth in the Middle Ages by Michèle Schindler
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.
Michèle 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.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781399099813 |
| ISBN 10 | 1399099817 |
| Title | Royal Childbirth in the Middle Ages |
| Author | Michèle Schindler |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Pen & Sword Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2025-11-30 |
| Number of pages | 224 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |