The culture of medieval Spain was anything but homogeneous. It varied not only through time, with the approach of the Renaissance, but also geographically, with great differences between north and south. One significant aspect of any culture is the role taken in it by women. In this study the role of women in relation to men, family, and social organization will be examined in the light of the evidence of literature; the various personalities and types created will be analyzed and their originality within literary convention assessed.
We will try to determine what variations and major changes occur in the role of women in the epic and lyric traditions within the medieval period, and an attempt will be made to relate such changes to what is known of historical, sociological, and cultural trends of the time. First, however, let us glance briefly at the ethnic and cultural background of Spanish women in medieval Spain.