Margery Kempe is a woman of the Middle Ages known for her visions of Christ, her pilgrimages to holy sites throughout Europe and other places, and for her autobiography, The Book of Margery Kempe. She dedicated herself to the Catholic religion, and despite much criticism from many of the people she encountered, she continued to live her life the best way that she could. Margery accomplished as well as suffered in her lifetime, including dealing with her troubled state of mind, remaining strong despite being labeled many undesirable titles and undergoing pilgrimages to various places. Margery Kempe was originally born as Margery Brunham in 1373 at King’s Lynn in Norfolk. Her father, John Brunham, was a wealthy merchant who had obtained the title of mayor five times in King’s Lynn and who also was a Member of Parliament. Despite being the daughter of such a prominent individual, Margery never learned how to read or write. This is considered strange because at the time, middle class girls such as herself were being educated to the point of literacy (Margery Kempe (1373-post1438)). Then, in the year 1393, Margery married John Kempe at twenty years old and was soon pregnant due to her pleasure in undertaking physical love. …show more content…
John worked as a merchant, and Margery owned her own brewing business. However, when their first child was born, Margery Kempe underwent a period of depression and began to experience visions of Jesus Christ (Jones). She endured what was an equivalent of a nervous breakdown, severely enough that it had to be restrained and well-recognized by uncontrollable weeping. Uncertain of how to deal with these visions, Margery continued to live out her daily life as usual. When her brewing business failed, she then reexamined her Catholic faith and decided to devote herself to