Margaret Wade Labarge (1916–2009) was a Canadian

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

specializing in the role of women in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. She was adjunct professor of history at

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public university, public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to se ...

. Labarge attended

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

and

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

universities, and taught at the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

before her move to Carleton. In 1982, she was made a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. In 1988, she was made a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; , SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bilingual council of distinguishe ...

. She authored nine books about history.

Early life and family

Margaret Wade was born on July 18, 1916, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and grew up on the Upper East Side. Her father, Alfred B. Wade, was a partner in a brokerage firm and her mother, Cecilia Helen Mein Wade, was an alumnus of Sacred Heart. Her parents had expectations of her that were no less than those for her three older brothers: Monroe became and actor and drama teacher in Princeton; Hugh became head of the Canadian Studies department at the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded in 1850 and moved into its current campus, next to the Genesee River in 1930. With approximately 30,000 full ...

and writer of ''The French Canadians'', a history of the economy of French Canada; Philip was a World War II soldier who earned a medal of honour from France.Fitterman, Lisa (September 8, 2009).
Ottawa author was fascinated with medieval women: Margaret Wade Labarge was named to the Order of Canada for bringing history to life and volunteering on behalf of nurses and the aged
, ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', p. S8. Retrieved on 2009-09-09. The family moved from New York to New Canaan,

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, after a physician made a recommendation for country living to help ten-year-old Wade's vision problems. She was also told not to read at all for a year, but she snuck books into trees she climbed and under her covers at night. She later attended a Sacred Heart boarding school in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

, Connecticut.

Education

She studied at

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

, then went on to graduate studies at St Anne's College of Oxford University. She considered English literature as a focus, but settled upon

medieval history In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

; her supervisor was Frederick Maurice Powicke. She wrote her thesis about Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester.

Career and later personal life

She married a Canadian she had met at Oxford, Raymond Labarge, who was there studying law. They moved to Canada, and she spent most of her later years in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, where the couple had two daughters and two sons. She became a patriotic Canadian, and renounced her US citizenship. She wrote nine books about history, mostly focusing on the lives of women in medieval times. Her husband was named deputy minister of customs and excise in the National Revenue Ministry; he died when she was 55. She wrote and lectured at Ottawa universities, while also expanding her volunteer work; she was named to the

in 1982, with mention of her historical writing and her volunteer work with nurses and with the elderly. She became the first president of the Canadian Society of Medievalists in 1993. She is best known her various books: ''A Baronial Household of the Thirteenth Century'' is about

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...

, wife of Simon de Montfort, detailing the time while her husband was away at war; and ''Medieval Travellers: The Rich and the Restless'' is about Mary, daughter of

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 ...

, a peripatetic nun. Her most significant monograph was ''A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life,'' published in 1986. This was the first monograph devoted to the study of medieval women and it had a tremendous influence both popularly and in university classrooms. She died on August 31, 2009.

Selected works

* (1965) ''A Baronial Household of the Thirteenth Century'' * (1968) ''Saint Louis: The Life of Louis IX of France'', London. * (1980) ''Gascony, England's First Colony 1204–1453''. London: Hamish Hamilton * (1982) ''Medieval Travellers: The Rich and the Restless'', London: Hamish Hamilton * (1986) ''A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life'', London: Hamish Hamilton, * ''Simon de Montfort'' * ''Henry V''

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Labarge, Margaret Wade 1916 births 2009 deaths Radcliffe College alumni Academic staff of Carleton University Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Canadian medievalists Women medievalists Members of the Order of Canada People from the Upper East Side People who renounced United States citizenship 20th-century Canadian historians Canadian women historians 21st-century Canadian historians 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers American emigrants to Canada