Hildegard of Bingen: A Star Shining in the Dark Ages
By Carolyn Emerick
Published Online – Undergraduate Paper from Empire State University (2010)
Introduction: In an age where women were more likely to be taught spinning than reading, and were generally thought to be mentally interferer to men, most women not only lacked the desire to speak out – they also lacked the means. Education was generally restricted to the elite classes, so that took a large portion of women (and men) out of the equation. Within the elite classes, it seems that a woman might have access to an education under certain conditions. If a girl was lucky enough to have a liberal father who believed in her ability, he might provide access to learning. However, abbeys and convents were the institutions most likely to educate girls so they could read the scriptures. As we can see, pathways to education were available to some women. However, then and now, a well developed mind does not guarantee acceptance by one’s peers. It appears there were women reading in abbeys and working as scribes, and yet so few had a voice that was heard beyond the four walls of their home or cell. This is what makes Hildegard of Bingen so exceptional. She was fortunate to be handed certain privileges that set her apart and gave her opportunities to cultivate her intellectual talents. Hildegard took full advantage of these privileges, coupled with cunning strategy, to ascend beyond the limitations imposed by her society.
Hildegard of Bingen was born in 1098 in the German province of Reinhessen. Eleventh century Germany, under the Ottonian Empire, allowed “great convents… to flourish as places of learning”. Despite the more liberal climate of Germany during this period, Gregorian reforms of the 11th and 12th centuries placed restraints on women. Hildegard worked within the system to not only make her voice heard, but to be an influence on other young women.
As a young child, Hildegard began experiencing visions that she felt were spiritual in nature. Because her visions were physically painful episodes, some historians have written them off as migraine headaches. Her family, however, decided to consecrate her to religious life at the young age of eight. Yet, it was not until the age of forty that Hildegard began to reveal her visions. Like any young child who is different than her peers, Hildegard appears to have felt shame or embarrassment. Perhaps at the age of forty she finally felt the self-consciousness of youth replaced by the confidence of womanhood. Another major factor may have been her recent promotion to head of her abbey in 1036. Her new title and position of authority may have given her the courage to reveal her visionary side.
Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net
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