What happens to us in the present if we had a better understanding of our past? So much of our narrative of history has been linear, one-sided, a cause-and-effect kind of passing of information. Obviously there’s so little we can obtain about history when a great deal of archives have been destroyed by natural disasters or wars.
I look upon my own understanding of European history in the 1600s and I see how it was framed mostly within England, setting sights on other countries only when they bothered England. All I knew about Spain from that period was the Spanish Armada and that England defeated that naval envoy under the rule of Elizabeth I (slaaaaaaay queeeeen).
In the history I learned, Spain was this evil empire because they remained Catholic while England made their own church. England looked for ways to portray the Spanish Empire in a negative light (this is known as the Black Legend). When it came to learning about the Spanish Empire, much of what I learned was from the lens of England. I knew Ferdinand and Isabella unified Spain, Columbus “discovered” America, and their empire began.
When I embarked on my research of Spanish daily life, especially for women, I uncovered some interesting information. When I found this, I felt a bit betrayed. Because while most of what I was learning in-depth was English history, here was what was happening with women in Spain:
Women could be actresses in troupes. There was a stipulation that their husband had to also be in the troupe, but for the Spanish audience, they watched performances with women on stage.
Women could own property. This occurred because of the Spanish conquest of the Americas where their husband might have left for the New World and died while abroad. Normally, funds and lands went to the men, but if a house lost their master, the widow could hold the keys to the house.
Women were allowed to be educated. Though they didn’t have entrance into the Latin schools or universities, wealthier families hired tutors that would offer a wide range of subjects for the women to be well-versed in. In many houses, it was thought that while the women handles the domestic affairs, she should also serve as an advisor to her husband when he needs it.
Women gathered at their own academies. These were small women-only affairs where they showed their creative acumen in music or literature and held discussions on topics of the day.
In English literature, Aphra Behn is considered one of the first women to make her living on her writing. She lived from 1640 - 1689. Ana Caro, considered the first women writer in Spain, lived from 1591 - 1645.
I’m not only interested in history itself, but also who is telling the history. I received such a bland story about this period when I was in school. It was a chapter we studied and moved on from. I wonder if there was conscientious effort to hide some of these details from us (Yeah, yeah, I know the answer). Then I also wonder how it affects us as women and women-identifying individuals, to know that even within these heavily patriarchal systems, women had spaces to perform, to learn, to govern.
I appreciate you naming that you felt betrayed when you realized what a sanitized version of history you'd been taught in school, a history centered on white anglicized figures and culture. Me too. Thanks for providing much-needed additional context here...it still feels relevant, 400+ years later.
It is surprising to read about women educated and financially independent in Spain!