Royal Childbirth in the Middle Ages

In 1441, Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester, was convicted of trying to bring aboutKing Henry VI`s death through witchcraft. Her defence was that she had simply tried tobecome pregnant with the help of a well-known wise woman, using sorcery only for thisaim. While one of the most widely publicised cases of such a fertility treatment, it was certainly notthe only one in the Middle Ages. In fact, due to the lack of knowledge surrounding not onlyfertility but also pregnancies and birth, there was a flourishing market offeringspiritual and secular aids. This book provides a history of the concerns and the common problems for women struggling with fertility problems, being pregnant and giving birth, and looks especially at the religious and societal ramifications of these issues.