Publication Date
Spring 2026
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
History
Advisor
Katharine Olson; Mary Pickering; Mary Lynn Wilson
Abstract
This study argues that women had more agency in north Wales from the late thirteenth to late fifteenth centuries than previous scholarship has acknowledged. Concepts examined are women’s economic status, relationships to kin groups, illegitimate children, and the impact of marriage on women’s finances in relation to the Merioneth Lay Subsidy Roll 1292-3. Sociocultural and legal independence is also considered regarding women in the Caernarvon Court Rolls (1361-1402) who were fined for various offenses, including debt, assault with bloodshed, trespass, theft, and illegal sales of ale and bread. The above historical sources are compared with contemporary literary sources: The poetry of Iolo Goch, Llywelyn Goch ap Meurig Hen, Dafydd ap Gwilym, Ieuan Brydydd Hir, and Dafydd ab Edmwnd. Leading female characters in the Four Branches of the Mabinogi, including Rhiannon, Branwen ferch Lyr, and Blodeuedd, are set in their historical contexts and contrasted with women such as Nest of Deheubarth, Alice de Wodelef, Maud Mortimer, and Hawise Lestrange.
Recommended Citation
Miller, McKenna M., "Female Agency in North Wales and the March, c.1290 to c.1470" (2026). Master's Theses. 5781.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.ryb8-3zye
https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/5781
