Julian of norwich biography summary rubric

Julian of Norwich 1342-1416 was a great Christian mystic and writer of the Middle Ages but little is known about her. It is a myth that women were unimportant in the Middle Ages. Some women like Julian certainly did have influence.

However, we know very little about her life. Julian (also known as Juliana) was probably born in Norwich. She certainly spent most of her life there.

At that time Norwich was one of England’s largest and most important towns.

It was a centre of the wool trade although during Julian’s lifetime, the population was devastated by the plague. In the 14th century, Norwich had a population of about 10,000, which made it a big town by Medieval standards.

Julian described herself modestly as ‘a simple creature, unlettered’.

Julian of norwich biography summary rubric

However, she probably did have some education and some knowledge of theology. Julian was in her 70s when she died, which was unusual for that time.

During an illness in 1373, Julian of Norwich had a series of profound visions, which she la