Margery Kempe

Margery Kempe was a significant English Catholic mystic from the late Middle Ages.

She is most famous for composing "The Book of Margery Kempe." Many scholars consider this text to be the first autobiography in the English language. An autobiography is a written account of a person's own life. Her book documents her domestic struggles and her intense religious experiences. It also records her many long journeys, known as pilgrimages, to holy sites in Europe and the Holy Land. Through her writing, she provides a rare look into the spiritual life of a medieval woman.

Kempe's spiritual life was defined by her mystical experiences. She believed she was called to a deeper intimacy with Christ through visions. These experiences often involved direct conversations with religious figures like Jesus and Mary. These visions were not merely mental thoughts. They physically affected her senses, causing her to hear heavenly melodies or smell strange odors. She also experienced intense emotional responses, such as constant weeping. This weeping was a public expression of her desire for God's mercy.

Her devotion was so extreme that she sometimes wore a hair shirt, which is a garment made of coarse hair used for penance.

Her journey toward deep devotion began after a period of intense crisis. Following the birth of her first child, she experienced an eight-month period of crisis. During this time, she claimed to see visions of demons. These entities commanded her to abandon her faith, her family, and her friends. She also reported a vision of Jesus Christ asking why she had forsaken him. These events led her to seek a life of intense prayer. She eventually attempted to manage domestic businesses, including a brewery and a grain mill. However, these businesses failed, and she turned her full attention to her spiritual calling.

Kempe's unconventional behavior often brought her into conflict with her community. Her loud wailing and sobbing in public sometimes frightened or annoyed others. Some people felt her intense connection to God was inappropriate for a layperson. She was also accused of heresy, which is the belief or opinion contrary to religious doctrine. Authorities questioned her because she preached in public, a role usually reserved for men. They also questioned her habit of wearing all white, which resembled a nun's clothing. Additionally, she was accused of suggesting she could know if a soul was damned. Despite being tried for heresy multiple times, she was never convicted.

To find guidance, Kempe sought out other religious thinkers. She traveled to meet the famous mystic and anchoress Julian of Norwich. An anchoress is a person who lives a religious life in a small, secluded cell. Kempe wanted Julian to validate her visions. Julian provided reassurance, telling Kempe that her intense religious feelings were genuine. However, Julian also cautioned her to ensure her experiences benefited other Christians.

This encounter helped Kempe navigate the scrutiny she faced from her neighbors and the clergy.

Because Kempe was illiterate, she could not write her book herself. She had to use the process of dictation. This means she spoke her life story aloud to a scribe. A scribe is a person who writes down spoken words. Her first attempt involved an Englishman who had lived in Germany. He died before the work was finished, leaving the writing unintelligible. Later, in the 1430s, she worked with a local priest to rewrite the text. This priest began work on a new section on July 23, 1436. Another section covering the years 1431 to 1434 was started on April 28, 1438.

The legacy of Kempe's work has survived through various manuscripts. One manuscript was copied around 1450 by a scribe named Richard Salthouse. This version contains notes from four different readers. Some of these notes were made by monks from the Mount Grace priory in Yorkshire. For many centuries, the book was largely lost to the public. It was only known through small excerpts published in 1501 and 1521. A significant manuscript was eventually rediscovered in 1934. Today, her book remains a vital connection to the history of English literature and medieval spirituality.