Review: The Powerful Women of Outremer by Helen P Schrader

Synopsis: In the mild climate of the Mediterranean, a rare blossom once a prosperous, urbanized society inhabited by various ethnic and religious groups living harmoniously together for nearly two-hundred years. At the apex of this society, ruled a feudal elite notorious for its wealth and love of luxury. It was composed of politically savvy, diplomatically adept, well-educated and multilingual men – and women.

These women played an astonishing and indispensable role in shaping the character of their unique society. They were ruling queens, independent barons, nuns and pilgrims. They were merchants and artisans, diplomats and spies. They were warriors defending besieged cities and the most pitiful victims of conflict as slaves after a defeat.

While many primary sources readily recorded specific and noteworthy actions taken by individual women, there is no comprehensive or systematic description of women’s contribution to the life and society of Outremer. All we have are fragments of a mosaic badly damaged by time. Yet even these remnants have largely been neglected due to the prevailing emphasis on the era’s military history.

The Powerful Women of Outremer redresses that imbalance. In a chronological narrative, women’s contributions to the crusader states are highlighted. The book then explores women’s societal role in thematic chapters. Finally, a series of short biographies shine a light on the lives of individual women. By piecing together the scattered remnants of the historical mosaic, The Powerful Women of Outremer offers readers a clearer understanding of the importance of women to the history of the Near East and a richer picture of the women themselves.

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I remember quite a while ago when I was putting together my very first website "Women of History" - it was these women that intrigued me from my reading and research, and as such I was keen to share.  There was absolutely nothing about them on the web back in 1998 - so much so that the very first iteration of a new web encyclopedia "wikipedia" (Jan 2001) literally cut and paste without any acknowledgement.

So, to be honest, I think I came more into this to view another perspective of the history and women of Outremer, who were and are, as I mentioned, not unfamiliar to me.

The author emphasises that this is not for the expert but the hobby historian; it is a record of action and influence; it has no contemporary Moslem sources, nor does it provide any new evidence but instead collates it all in one place for the reader.

I found the first chapter provided no value to the reader - go straight to chapters 2 - 5 which talk about the formation of the Crusader State and the succession of its rulers. Chapter 6 provides a little more on Crusader society and provides three cases studies of notable women. Chapter 7 discusses legal rights. Chapter 8 royal power, again focusing on notable Crusader monarchs. Chapter 9 and 10 talks about the economy, patronage, and defence of the Holy Land, whilst Chapter 11 deals with the issues of defeat and enslavement.

All of this is followed by the biographies of the women discussed and featured in the tome - however, it is strictly a Eurocentric view. Which, of course it is - it is a study of those who came to Outremer, integrated with society through marriage, and "topped up" the gene pool with new arrivals from Europe.

Schrader, to give her her due, has put these women into context with the time and events, and has given them a little more "page time" than most standard Crusade texts - they are not invisible, you just needed to invest a little more time to seek them out.

If the reader is interested in this period, they will pick up this tome regardless - if you are solely interested in a collection of biographies on notable historical women, go straight to the end. Of course, the reader should always do their own research to gain perspective to to understand what each writer is trying to convey - no one tome should be taken as gospel, but should provide a platform for assessment and further discussion.