Medieval Women Networking before the Appearance of Nations

In the 12-13^th centuries, well before the emergence of the concept of nation, certain women were given the opportunity to be involved in the political and religious issues of the time. With Ermengard of Narbonne and Eleanor of Aquitaine we see how feudalism, which is based on the prestige of lineages and the ties of vassalage, gave to heiresses the opportunity to participate on the political and cultural level. Devotional writings from and about women reveal strategies of legitimization related to these women themselves and those who supported them: dynasties such as the Plantagenêts and the Capetians or spiritual authorities such as the Preachers and the Mendicants.