What sorts of powers and responsibilities did noblewomen exercise that has led two such esteemed scholars to describe the experience of women in the "dark ages" so positively? In this essay I will examine the stages of a noblewoman's life in the Middle Ages. What relationships were important to her? What rights and responsibilities did noblewomen have during the course of their lives? What did they do for fun? By analyzing the life experience of women throughout western Europe over several centuries, I hope that the richness of their lives and their powerful and fundamentally crucial role in medieval society will become apparent.