F is for Fya upper Bach

Fya became a blacksmith in Germany during medieval times. She became the first independent mastersmith known as the ‘smithy of Siberg”. She also was a leader. Two times in her 30-year long job she held office in the blacksmith’s guild. German medieval legal and guild records also list other female blacksmiths, coppersmiths, tinsmiths, and pewterers. True, some of these women gained entry through “widow’s rights”, however others made it, like Fya, on determination and muscle.

Bibliography

Uppity Women of Medieval Times by Vicki Leon