Motherhood and Mothering Experiences in the Byzantine World

Motherhood and mothering in Byzantium remain underexplored topics. Despite decades of rich feminist scholarship intersecting with gender studies, these areas continue to be marginalized, and to date, there has been no systematic study. The goal of this paper is to explore the concept of mothering in Byzantium from the 6th to the 12th centuries and to shed light on the real experiences of mothers in everyday life, contrasting them with the idea of holy mothers. This can be achieved by examining hagiographical sources in conjunction with historical, legal, and medical texts. A critical approach to these sources reveals, on one hand, the dominant social and religious perceptions and expectations of motherhood as an institution rather than an individual experience, and on the other hand, the personal actions and practices of mothering, such as caring, nurturing, and raising children.