Status of Women in the Middle Ages
The invasions of Islam on India had started from AD 712 but till AD 1192 the Islamic invaders were able to establish their rule over Sindh and parts of Punjab only. After the defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan (III) in AD 1192, Islamic rule was established over a large part of northern India, which expanded with time.
Islamic invaders brought with them the objective of spreading Islam by force. The Indian society could not prepare what it should have prepared to face this storm. Due to this the Hindu society was locked in the walls of social taboos so that the Hindu caste could preserve its religion and purity of blood and it could not fall into the hands of the invaders. These taboos had a bad effect on women's freedom, education and property rights.
purdah
Muslim women were required to wear hijab and burqa in Arab and Turkistan. In India also Muslim invaders made veils compulsory for women. On the one hand, women who accepted Islam were veiled in hijab and burqa, and on the other, Hindu women also covered their faces with veils and covered their bodies with a sheet if they went out of the house.>
So that the eyes of a man should not fall on his face and body. Akbar Emperor also issued strict orders regarding the woman- 'If any young girl is seen in the streets and markets without a veil or has deliberately broken the curtain, then she should be taken to the brothel and Let the same profession be adopted.'
The 16th century traveler Barbosa, while mentioning the practice of purdah among the women of Bengal, wrote- 'Hinjaras were kept to act as messengers between men and women in rich and royal families. Due to the purdah system, even a male doctor was not allowed to enter the royal harem and the janana of the aristocrats to treat sick women. Women rarely came out of their homes. When it was necessary to go out of the house, she was surrounded by bandages and eunuchs and went in a fully covered palanquin.'
If a Muslim woman for some reason removed the veil even for a short time, she had to face dire consequences. Amir Khan, the governor of Kabul, had abandoned his woman only because she was unmasked while jumping down to save her life when the elephant went mad.
A Muslim woman was allowed to talk to her other male relative only in the presence of her husband. Hindu women spoke freely to their relatives. During this period Rajput women received martial arts education and often came out of the palaces to participate in hunting and other expeditions. However, with the passage of time, the purdah system became stricter among Rajput women as well.
Birth of daughter
The birth of a daughter was considered inauspicious in medieval Indian families. Todd wrote that Rajput used to say- 'The day of daughter's birth is a curse for me.' In the family, the girl was not respected as much as the boys. This difference was also prevalent in the royal houses. If a woman had consecutive daughters, she was often abandoned by her husband. In the royal family, the Begum used to rejoice only in the harem on the birth of a girl, while all the courtiers were involved in the ceremony on the birth of a son.
When Muslim emperors and Amirs started marrying Kshatriya girls by force and 'beti ka baap' Being looked down upon, the Rajputs started killing their daughters. The practice of female-slaughter was confined to some other warrior castes including Rajputs.
The midwife used to give information about the birth of a girl in normal families in these words- 'Thare bhato jalmiyo hai' That is, a stone has taken birth in your house. On the birth of a daughter an iron griddle was played, while on the birth of a son a bronze plate was played to inform the neighbors that a son was born in this house. The iron tawa was a symbol of household responsibilities and produced inauspicious sound, while the word of the bronze thali signified the authority over the food of the household and the sound of auspicious sound was emanating from the bronze plate.
Child marriage
The practice of child marriage in India started from the Smriti period, but the political conditions of the medieval period made child marriage compulsory. A daughter was considered barred from living in her parents' home for more than six to eight years after birth. According to the 16th century Bengali poet Mukandarai, a father who married his daughter at the age of nine was considered lucky and a god's favourite.
Due to the young age, the bride and groom could not choose their favorite life partner. Dowry was demanded from the bride's side by the groom's side. Often the parents used to get married in the greed of good dowry, without considering the superiority of the bride and groom.
Many times the bride's side used to give more money and marry her older age girl to younger groom. This evil had increased so much that Akbar had to order that if the age of the woman is twelve years more than the husband, then that marriage will be annulled. In certain castes and regions, the groom's side used to give money to the bride's side. Many times the groom's side used to get married girl of young age to mature and old groom by giving more money.
There are also instances in the medieval period in which Rajput girls themselves determined the terms of their marriage. Rao Suratan's daughter Tarabai put a condition that she would marry the same young man who would free her father's kingdom from the Pathans. Prithviraj's brother Jaimal accepted this condition and married Tarabai.
Karmadevi, the beautiful daughter of Mohil Sardar, refused her engagement to the successor of Rao of Mandore and accepted to be the bride of the prince Sadhu of Poogal. When Aurangzeb sent a dola for Charumati, the princess of Rupangarh, Charumati sent an invitation to Maharana Raj Singh of Mewar to marry Charumati and protect the religion of Charumati. Therefore it is clear that in Kshatriya royal families, girls used to get married when they became adults.
monogamy
In the medieval period, a wife was prevalent among the lower classes of Hindu and Muslim society. In Akbar's Ibadatkhana, the Ulemas ordered that Muslims 'nikah' by Char and 'Moota' He could have married any number of times. Akbar issued an order that no ordinary man could keep more than one woman and only if the first woman proved to be infertile, she could be allowed to have a second wife.
The facility of polygamy was available only to wealthy Muslims who usually had three or four wives. The monogamous system was prevalent among the Hindus except the king and the wealthy class. In some special cases and if the first woman was infertile, the second marriage could take place with the approval of the Brahmins.
Status of woman in in-laws
The decision of the marriage of the daughter was taken by the parents or by a senior member of the family. The desire of the girl was not important in deciding the marriage. After marriage, the girl lived under the control of her mother-in-law. If a girl was not able to live up to the expectations of her mother-in-law, the Muslim family used to divorce her.
Even a disobedient bride was not considered good in the Hindu family. Even if the elder daughter-in-law of the house lived separately from her mother-in-law, her point of view was important in family matters. Newlywed's life in mortuary 'limited dependent' It was like Jahangir wrote his autobiography 'Tuzuke Jahangiri' It is written in- 'It is a belief among Hindus that no auspicious work can be completed without the presence or cooperation of a woman, because she is considered to be the half-wife of a man.'
Husband and wife obeyed each other. Although the opinion of the husband was paramount, yet the women of high-families, especially the Rajputs, did not compromise on their self-respect. If the husband praised the beauty of another woman even in ridicule, then the wife would get angry and the married life became bitter.
Widow Status
Divorce and remarriage was common among Muslims but it was forbidden among Hindus. Widow-marriage was strictly prohibited in medieval Hindu society, but some lower castes were exceptions. The practice of Sati was prevalent among the upper classes, but this practice was more compulsory in the Rajputs. A Rajput girl who was only engaged, also became sati on the death of her future husband.
Widows who were not sati were looked down upon by the society. Their hair was cut and they were given dry and spicy food, depriving them of colorful clothes, make-up, jewellery, good food, soft bedding, presence in public places, demanding rituals etc. She slept on the earth and often lived her life like a slave. His philosophy was considered auspicious.
Sati-practice
Muhammad bin Tughlaq was the first medieval Muslim ruler who banned the practice of forceful Sati. Under his rule, a widow had to obtain royal orders before she could commit sati. Sidi Ali came to India during the reign of the noble Humayun, he remained in India from AD 1553-1556. He has written that the officers of the Sultan were always present to see that no widow should be burnt against her will.
Akbar had also banned the practice of forceful sati. Akbar himself intervened several times to save the widows from being forcibly burnt. She protected the niece of Amber king Bhagwandas (widow of Jaymal) and put her son in jail, who was forcing her to commit sati.
European travelers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Delaval, Pleasart and Tavernier also mention that a widow was required to obtain permission from the governor to be burned. Jahangir and Shah Jahan also maintained the Akbar period system. Aurangzeb prohibited the practice of Sati by issuing orders, but these orders did not have any effect on the subjects and the practice of Sati continued as before.
Status of woman as mother
In the medieval period, the position of woman as a mother was respectable. The feeling of respect for the mother was very strong among the Rajputs. Maharana Sangram Singh (II) of Mewar used to have darshan of the mother before taking food. When Akbar marched on Chittor, Fatta Sisodia wore a saffron cloak after taking permission from his mother and attained Veergati while fighting the enemy. Many Mughal emperors used to walk a short distance to receive the mother. On his birthday, the emperor used to go with the princes and courtiers to seek blessings from the mother.
Women's economic status
In the medieval period, Hindu women did not have property rights from both her husband and in-laws place. The ornaments, utensils and clothes received by the woman in dowry on the occasion of marriage were considered as women's wealth. On being widowed or abandoned, she was not given any property other than woman's wealth.
In Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya families, women were not involved in any activity of earning money, but peasants and women of the working class were the exception to this tradition, who were outside the home in agriculture, animal husbandry, labor, weaving, embroidery, sewing etc. She also went and worked with men.
A Muslim woman received a share in her father's property by way of inheritance. This right of his continued even after marriage. There was a system of Mehr for the Muslim woman on the occasion of marriage. In medieval Bengal, destitute Muslim women made dance and singing their profession.
Wisdom Women in Medieval Period
'Raghunath Abhyudaya' In 'Madhurvaani' Author of and 'Andhra Ramayana' Translator of Rambhadba, 'Kavya Vardambika Parinayam' Thirumalamba, author of 'Marichi Parinayam' The author of love poetry named Moinangi is a famous Sanskrit poetess of the medieval period. Mirabai, Devlarani, Roopmati, Charumati etc. were also learned women of that period.
His literary works are found in large numbers. The names of Akabai, Kenabai and Muktibai of Maharashtra and Madhavabai of Bengal are also prominent in medieval Bhakti literature. 'Humayunnama' among Muslim women Gulbadan Begum and author of 'Biography of Shibiya and Munisal Arva' Jahanara is the author of the book. Salima Sultana, Nur Jahan, Sitiunnisa (Jahannara's teacher) and Zebunnisa (Aurangzeb's daughter) were also enlightened women of the medieval Muslim community and famous poets of that period.
Women in Medieval Politics
There was no special place for women in medieval politics. On the death of a king, his son or the closest blood related man of his clan was the heir to the kingdom. In the event of the successor of the late king being a minor, the mother or grandmother of that young king used to run the affairs of the kingdom on behalf of the new king.
मेवाड़ के महाराणा विक्रमादित्य के अयोग्य शासक होने के कारण राजमाता कर्मवती ने हुमायूँ को राखी भेजकर सहायता प्राप्त करने की चेष्टा की किंतु जब हुमायूं ने मेवाड़ की सहायता नहीं की तो कर्मवती ने पूर्व में मेवाड़ द्वारा मालवा के शासक महमूद खिलजी से छीने गए मालवा के समस्त जिले तथा सोना-चांदी देकर बहादुरशाह से संधि की। गोडवाना की चंदेल रानी दुर्गावती इस काल की प्रसिद्ध रानी हुई है जिसने अपने पति की मृत्यु के बाद अकबर से युद्ध जारी रखा और युद्धक्षेत्र में वीरगति को प्राप्त हुई।
मराठा शासक राजाराम की मृत्यु के बाद उसकी रानी ताराबाई (ई.1700-1707) ने मराठा राज्य का शासन संचालित किया। उसने औरंगजेब की सेनाओं से सफलतापूर्वक मोर्चा लिया। मराठा सूबेदार मल्हारराव होलकर की पुत्रवधू महारानी अहिल्याबाई (ई.1925-95) धर्म-पूर्वक शासन करने के लिए प्रसिद्ध हुईं। उन्होंने प्रजा की भलाई के लिए बहुत से कार्य किए।
मध्य-काल की मुस्लिम महिला शासकों में दिल्ली की शासक रजिया सुल्ताना और अहमदनगर के अल्पवय शासक की संरक्षक चाँदबीबी का नाम उल्लेखनीय है। मकदुम-ओ-जहान ने बहमनी परिवार के निजामशाह की ओर से दक्कन का शासन सँभाला। अली मरदान की बेटी साहिबजी ने अपने पति की मृत्यु के बाद काबुल पर शासन किया। जहाँगीर के शासनकाल में उसकी बेगम नूरजहाँ ही समस्त शासकीय निर्णय लेती थी तथा बादशाह की मुहर भी नूरजहाँ के पास रहती थी।