Herb-workers and Heretics: The Beguines An Overview of the Beguine Movement

During the Middle Ages and early Renaissance, the word “beguine” was used by women to identify themselves as members of a wide-spread and influential women's movement. The same term was used by their detractors and overt opponents, with the highly charged negative meaning of "heretic." The etymology of the term “beguine” and ultimate origins of the movement have never been satisfactorily explained.

This talk was presented initially as a conference paper entitled "The Beguines: A Historical Perspective" at the Central Renaissance Conference, Iowa City, Iowa, March 26, 1976. A more extensive version of that presentation under the title of "Herb-Workers and Heretics: The Beguines and the Basques" was given at the Congreso Internacional de Investigación, Docencia y Feminismo, San Sebastian, Spain, March 26, 1993. The current text is called “Herb-workers and Heretics: The Beguines” and follows closely the contents of the 1976 presentation.