By: Christine Morgan
The Middle Ages are so often associated with rigid gender roles, witch crazes, and knights in armor fighting for love and honor on the battlefield. Even after centuries of study, there is still one HUGE, lingering misconception of the Middle Ages, which is that women had very little control over their lives and no way to contribute to society beyond marriage and childbirth. Friends, this is fake news! The truth is, women were choosing to duck out of bad marriages or ditch the step kids in favor of joining nunneries, forming regional charities, and even leading armies, because why not?
In this limited series, we will take a look at three of the most famous religious, iconic women from the Middle Ages (500CE-1500CE) and the ways they exercised personal agency. While each of the women in this series made different contributions to our history books, they all shared in the practice of what some historians call “holy anorexia.” Food and consumption (or lack thereof) were a frequent form of self-control and sometimes a matter of religious symbolism. The practice in modern terms would be called either anorexia nervosa or could be the practice of prolonged fasting resulting in horrific physical damage. Most importantly, I refer to this as holy anorexia because women attributed their lack of appetite to God, not self. The ultimate purpose of food abstention was to be closer to God or follow His requests, not just to be thin. Thus, the term holy anorexia.
“Women attributed their lack of appetite to God, not self. The ultimate purpose of food abstention was to be closer to God … not just to be thin. Thus, the term holy anorexia. “
In another twist, holy anorexia was not just the practice of avoiding food to flatter God, there’s another element that women were drawn to: fame.
Nuns, leaders, queens, even the girl next door were all thrilled by the limelight cast onto those who were wasting away in the name of righteousness. There are accounts of holy anorexics taking long, arduous walks through town on a daily basis to make sure their neighbors saw them and continued to be concerned for them. Some women were so ill that the Pope would write and command that they eat. Can you imagine receiving a letter from the POPE? What fame! What fortune! What drama!
To be clear, anorexia is a serious disease and this series will not make light of the physical and mental illnesses these women may have had. However, there was a clear desire for public and religious attention, which manifested in this shocking pattern and affected some of the most fascinating women of the time.
Today we begin with the incomparable Joan of Arc: leader of the French army, influencer of royalty, vessel of God, martyr, and holy anorexic.
While Joan of Arc is one of the most documented women from the Middle Ages, many of those documents are lacking in specific details or even contradict each other. (*Fake shocked face*)
Lucky for us lovers of history, there are a few consistent clues to the way Joan used food symbolically during her short, but effective life. Unlike the nuns who were visibly thin as mentioned above, Joan was described as strong, capable, and able to wear heavy armor for days at a time. We know she fought in battle and was once wounded by an arrow in her chest! Still, when we consider Joan’s ties to either holy anorexia or periods of long fasting, historical records point to her internal, functional health more than her physical appearance. For example, one well-known side effect of modern anorexia nervosa is that women do not get their periods. Joan, a presumed virgin, was elevated in the public consciousness because she also did not menstruate. To her supporters, the “maid” Joan was sexually pure in every aspect – what a banner that’d make! However, we also know she was incredibly active and lived under the constant stress of leading armies or avoiding execution. Realistically, heightened stress may have been a secondary factor to her body’s struggle to function at 100%.
When Joan did eat, her court records or letters written by men who knew her indicate that her meals consisted mostly of bread and wine mixed with water. For most of us that’s just the appetizer course! On rare occasions when Joan ate richly prepared foods such as fish, she felt immediately ill and would vomit, either out of guilt or because her body rejected these foods after years of a limited diet. Even when she stuck to her “go to” meal, it is recorded that she “ate very little” or only ate “several pieces of bread.” Her lack of nutrition and alarming portion control was obviously a topic of discussion among her peers and supporters prior to her trials and depositions. Ever seen an army led by a hangry maid? It was formidable.
Beyond the quantity of her meals, the bread, wine, and water are highly symbolic elements of holy communion and noticeably contain very little nutritional value. Joan was sending a clear message that she preferred to consume food associated with Christ and his own physical sacrifice. Some of the most popular of Joan’s claims to spiritual fame were her supposed conversations with deceased saints and angels. In times when she had not been visited for a while, her food fasts would intensify because she believed her messengers avoided her if she had been sinful. Sadly, Joan’s relationship with food was linked to sinful behavior in her mind. This helps us understand that her holy anorexic tendencies were mental (and religious) and not based on vain concerns for beauty or a slender figure.
“Joan was sending a clear message that she preferred to consume food associated with Christ and his own physical sacrifice.”
Joan’s story is a true Medieval tapestry with elements of prophecy, mysticism, heresy, and much more woven into its tragic scene. In some ways, her demonstration of physical strength is suspect in regard to her relationship with food. Women associated with extended periods of holy anorexia (10+ years) are suspected of sneaking food or hoarding food away from the public eye. Medically, Joan’s holy anorexia/fasting lifestyle would have been incredibly difficult to maintain while fighting in the Hundred Years’ War. On the other hand, it would be effective emotional manipulation during times of imprisonment or rest when Joan needed sympathy and support. No one can say with complete certainty that Joan suffered from this illness, but her relationship to food was certainly rooted in religious symbolism with an emphasis on righteousness through deprivation.
What do you think? Feel free to ask questions or tell me your theories!
Follow Christine on Twitter: @msChristineMo
And if you enjoyed this post, hang tight. There’s more to come!
Sources:
Holy Anorexia (Dr. Rudolph Bell)
From Fasting Saints to Anorexic Girls: The History of Self-Starvation (Vandereycken & Van Deth)