ABSTRACT
Family life, domesticity and the household were essential constituents of the medieval and early modern world. Within the home, children were raised and socialised, gendered expectations were negotiated and fulfilled, and religion was practised. Domesticity could mean the comfort of one’s own home, the affective relationships between family members, and care and commitment. In practice, the strict gender hierarchy and the authority of men were not set in stone. With the hierarchy in need of regular renewal, the theme of hierarchy runs through various writings and teachings from Antiquity via the Middle Ages to the early modern period and onwards. Religion and gender were lived out and experienced at home. Since homes and family structures changed slowly, their influence on religion and gender was gradual. It is said that the Renaissance domesticated religion, and the consumer revolution of the time brought a new volume of religious paraphernalia — and thereby new forms of religious experience to the home.
