Final answer:
Medieval noblewomen could serve as property owners, household managers, spinners, and weavers, managing estates and overseeing manorial operations. They were pivotal in the manorial system though their roles were restricted compared to their male counterparts.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the medieval period, noblewomen had various roles within European society. While they were certainly not knights' squires or village clerics, they played significant parts as property owners, household managers, and in some cases, as spinners and weavers. As property owners, noblewomen could manage estates, oversee the production of goods, and collect rents. Household management was a critical role that encompassed the administration of the daily operations of a manor, including the supervision of servants and the management of resources. Furthermore, textile production was an area where women, both noble and peasant, often engaged in spinning and weaving, essential for clothing and the economic contributions to their households.
Women also served in roles that were not traditionally documented as part of the nobility's duties such as physicians or specialized roles like blacksmithing, which were predominantly male professions. These restrictions were reflective of the greater societal limitations placed on women's roles during the medieval era.
Noblewomen's contributions were vital to the manorial system, which, along with feudalism, shaped the economic and political landscape of the High Middle Ages. They could be influential within their domestic spheres and, through managing their households and properties, contributed to the broader feudal society.