Clare, Agnes and agency in suffering

This chapter examines the thirteenth century saints, St. Clare of Assisi and St. Agnes of Prague, both followers of St. Francis, and the self-imposed suffering they pursued. Medieval women of the time did not possess much power within the Church, in part because the feminine was tied to the body and its physicality which was viewed as less sacred than the spirit which was associated with the masculine. However, both Clare and Agnes gained the respect and admiration of the clergy from Francis himself all the way up to the papacy through the personal suffering they practiced in imitation of the suffering of Christ. This agency allowed them to achieve their leadership objectives, including the privilegium paupertatis or privilege of poverty so important to their conceptions of piety and penance.