Margery Kempe
Author profile
born
December 24, 1372
in Lynn, Norfolk ENGLAND
died
December 23, 1437
gender
female
website
genre
About this author
Short Biography profile and facts about the life of Margery Kempe
The following biography information provides basic facts and information about the life and history of Margery Kempe a famous Medieval character of the Middle Ages:
Nationality: English
Lifespan: 1373 - c1438
Time Reference: Lived during the reign of the English Kings; Edward III, Richard II and Henry IV
Date of Birth: She was born Margery Brunham at King's Lynn, Norfolk in 1373
Family connections : She was the daughter of John Brunham who was a wealthy merchant in King's Lynn who was involved in local politics and achieved the position of mayor and Member of Parliament
Education: Margery Kempe was unable to read or write but learnt for the people who read to her. She dictated her...more
Short Biography profile and facts about the life of Margery Kempe
The following biography information provides basic facts and information about the life and history of Margery Kempe a famous Medieval character of the Middle Ages:
Nationality: English
Lifespan: 1373 - c1438
Time Reference: Lived during the reign of the English Kings; Edward III, Richard II and Henry IV
Date of Birth: She was born Margery Brunham at King's Lynn, Norfolk in 1373
Family connections : She was the daughter of John Brunham who was a wealthy merchant in King's Lynn who was involved in local politics and achieved the position of mayor and Member of Parliament
Education: Margery Kempe was unable to read or write but learnt for the people who read to her. She dictated her memoirs which were described in 'The Book of Margery Kempe'
Married: Margery Kempe married John Kempe at the age of twenty
Children: Margery and John Kempe produced 14 children
When the "visions" of Margery Kempe began: She experienced her first Christian vision c1374 following the delivery of her first child
What provoked the visions of Margery Kempe? She was suffering from a disturbed state of mind caused by any number of events including depression ( post natal), feelings of guilt, an over-imaginative mind, a spiritual crisis and an unsympathetic confessor
She suffered the equivalent of a nervous breakdown. Her condition was so severe that she had to be constrained. It was punctuated by loud and unrestrained crying
She then experienced a vision and emerged calm and 'came to her senses'
Unclear of how she should respond to the visions she continued everyday life with her husband and produced many more children. This was seen as an impossible way of life for a "spiritual woman" and she was strongly criticised and even rebuked for attempting to live a life totally devoted to Christ but as a married woman
In 1403 she and her husband took vows of chastity before the Bishop of Lincoln
She then took to wearing white - which brought more criticism as the normal color by a woman of her age and station would have been black
She annoyed people further by her uncontrollable weeping and wailing at holy sites and during mass
Margery Kempe was accused of being a Lollard but cleared of this by the Archbishop of Canterbury
Margery Kempe undertook pilgrimages to sacred places in England including Canterbury, Norwich and York
Margery Kempe was a contemporary of the Medieval anchoress, Julian of Norwich, who she visited
In the autumn of 1414 she undertook a pilgrimage to the Holy Land via Venice
She reached Jerusalem and visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and travelled on to Bethlehem
She returned to England in May 1415
Further pilgrimages took her to Rome, Germany, Norway and Spain
In 1433 she undertook a pilgrimage to Danzig
Margery Kempe dictated the content of 'The Book of Margery Kempe' to men hired as scribes
'The Book of Margery Kempe' was recopied by a travelling priest
The manuscript containing the 'The Book of Margery Kempe' was lost for many years and only rediscovered in 1934 by Miss Hope Emily Allen
Miss Hope Emily Allen identified the manuscript copy of 'The Book of Margery Kempe' in the library of Colonel Butler-Bowdon of Pleasington Old Hall in Lancashire, England
Date of Death: The last known reference to Margery Kempe was at King's Lynn in 1438 although her exact date of death is unknown
Accomplishments or why Margery Kempe was famous: The Book of Margery Kempe is considered to be the first autobiography in the English language
The Book of Margery Kempe chronicles her pilgrimages to various holy sites in Europe and the Holy Land
Margery Kempe
The story and biography of Margery Kempe contains interesting information, facts & the history about the life of this Medieval woman of historical importance.
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published
1438
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7 editions
