ABSTRACT
The previous chapter demonstrated that books of hours assisted late-medieval laywomen, including Margaret of York and Mary of Burgundy, in forging an authoritative and privileged feminine identity framed around the Christocentric, incarnational piety of holy women. However, not everyone was at ease with the religious authority of women, whether saintly or lay, and at times such anxieties rose to the surface. Olivier de la Marche, court poet and Burgundian chronicler under Charles the Bold, urged women at the court to desist from, ‘writing, work, and school’ – the very activities that granted them spiritual knowledge – to pursue instead, ‘good deportment’ and ‘good breeding: 1 In the religious sphere, Jean Gerson, Chancellor of the University of Paris, initiated a campaign to discredit Bridget of Sweden for her visionary experiences, including those that stressed her eucharistic devotion. 2
