Lives of Royal Women – serie

This book is the first full-length biography of Joan of Navarre, a fascinating royal woman who became duchess of Brittany and queen consort of England through her two marriages in 1386 and 1403 respectively.Joan was enmeshed in the turbulent politics of the later Middle Ages as her extensive family and marital connections meant she was related to most of the royal houses of Western Europe—as well as the key protagonists of the Hundred Years War. The large foreign entourage that Joan brought with her to England, and her family ties across the Channel, made her unpopular with her subjects and her loyalties suspect, provoking several purges of her household and culminating in a charge of treason on which she was detained for several years. Yet Joan returned to court in her later years and fought vociferously to the end to retain queenly rights, revenues, and position. Ultimately, this book highlights Joan’s political agency and tenacity, bringing her out of the historical shadows and into the foreground of high politics in fifteenth-century England and Europe.Joan of Navarre is a useful resource for all students and scholars interested in queenship studies, women’s history, and European politics during the later Middle Ages.

This book is the first full-length biography of Joan of Navarre, a fascinating royal woman who became duchess of Brittany and queen consort of England through her two marriages in 1386 and 1403 respectively.Joan was enmeshed in the turbulent politics of the later Middle Ages as her extensive family and marital connections meant she was related to most of the royal houses of Western Europe—as well as the key protagonists of the Hundred Years War. The large foreign entourage that Joan brought with her to England, and her family ties across the Channel, made her unpopular with her subjects and her loyalties suspect, provoking several purges of her household and culminating in a charge of treason on which she was detained for several years. Yet Joan returned to court in her later years and fought vociferously to the end to retain queenly rights, revenues, and position. Ultimately, this book highlights Joan’s political agency and tenacity, bringing her out of the historical shadows and into the foreground of high politics in fifteenth-century England and Europe.Joan of Navarre is a useful resource for all students and scholars interested in queenship studies, women’s history, and European politics during the later Middle Ages.

This study of Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of King Henry VIII, offers readers a more nuanced retelling of her queenship, which has often been dismissed as unimportant due to its brevity. Re-evaluating many of the misconceptions surrounding the queen, including her religion, the fateful year of her marriage, and her appearance, the book brings together historiography and the most recent research on Anne, not least her fascinating relationship to books and her foreign reputation. Schutte expertly weaves together her analysis of well-known archival sources, alongside that of letters, printed books, manuscripts, engravings, and other material objects to illuminate Anne’s rich cultural legacy.This book combines chronological chapters with thematic ones to offer the most comprehensive study of Anne available. It stands as a valuable resource for students, specialists, and all those interested in Tudor history, queenship, women’s history, and Henry VIII and his wives.

This study of Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of King Henry VIII, offers readers a more nuanced retelling of her queenship, which has often been dismissed as unimportant due to its brevity. Re-evaluating many of the misconceptions surrounding the queen, including her religion, the fateful year of her marriage, and her appearance, the book brings together historiography and the most recent research on Anne, not least her fascinating relationship to books and her foreign reputation. Schutte expertly weaves together her analysis of well-known archival sources, alongside that of letters, printed books, manuscripts, engravings, and other material objects to illuminate Anne’s rich cultural legacy.This book combines chronological chapters with thematic ones to offer the most comprehensive study of Anne available. It stands as a valuable resource for students, specialists, and all those interested in Tudor history, queenship, women’s history, and Henry VIII and his wives.

This volume examines the life of Anne of Bohemia, the first queen of Richard II (1377–1399), and situates her within the context of medieval queenship by arguing that Anne ably fulfilled the political role of the queen consort through her intercession, patronage, and piety.Much previous scholarship on Anne has focused on her relationship with famous poets, such as Geoffrey Chaucer, but from analyzing government documents it becomes clear that Anne used her wealth and status to enact power. Through financial, religious, and cultural patronage, Anne rewarded supporters and servants and influenced court life. The examination of sources such as a letter from Anne to her half brother, and an apothecary bill that contains some fertility medicines suggests that the queen both desired and tried to have children. As such, the volume questions the public imagination of Anne and shows that, in this example, although she died childless, Anne and Richard attempted to have children throughout their marriage.With the inclusion of tables listing Anne’s acts of intercession and her land holdings and land grants, Anne of Bohemia is a useful tool for students and scholars interested in queenship studies, medieval women’s history, and the history of the English monarchy.

This volume examines the life of Anne of Bohemia, the first queen of Richard II (1377–1399), and situates her within the context of medieval queenship by arguing that Anne ably fulfilled the political role of the queen consort through her intercession, patronage, and piety.Much previous scholarship on Anne has focused on her relationship with famous poets, such as Geoffrey Chaucer, but from analyzing government documents it becomes clear that Anne used her wealth and status to enact power. Through financial, religious, and cultural patronage, Anne rewarded supporters and servants and influenced court life. The examination of sources such as a letter from Anne to her half brother, and an apothecary bill that contains some fertility medicines suggests that the queen both desired and tried to have children. As such, the volume questions the public imagination of Anne and shows that, in this example, although she died childless, Anne and Richard attempted to have children throughout their marriage.With the inclusion of tables listing Anne’s acts of intercession and her land holdings and land grants, Anne of Bohemia is a useful tool for students and scholars interested in queenship studies, medieval women’s history, and the history of the English monarchy.

This book offers the first dedicated and comprehensive examination of the lives of nearly thirty women known to occupy the office of queen in the English kingdoms between 650 and 850.The queens of early England are often shadowy figures in the historical record, beset by numerous issues which have largely confined them to the margins of history. Through careful analysis, the volume presents a ground-breaking appraisal of the role of queens in early England, and how their actions and identities shaped their practice of queenship. Organised thematically, it offers an overview of queens in many different roles, such as agents of Christianity, mothers, and peace-weavers. From high profile queens such as Æthelthryth of Ely and Cynethryth of Mercia, to the shadowy Leofrun of East Anglia and the nameless queen of Anna of East Anglia, the book engages with sources to advance fuller narratives about even the most obscure queens of the era.Aided by resources such as genealogical tables, Early English Queens, 650–850 is an ideal resource for students and scholars at all levels, as well general readers, interested in the lives of queens and early English history.

This book offers the first dedicated and comprehensive examination of the lives of nearly thirty women known to occupy the office of queen in the English kingdoms between 650 and 850.The queens of early England are often shadowy figures in the historical record, beset by numerous issues which have largely confined them to the margins of history. Through careful analysis, the volume presents a ground-breaking appraisal of the role of queens in early England, and how their actions and identities shaped their practice of queenship. Organised thematically, it offers an overview of queens in many different roles, such as agents of Christianity, mothers, and peace-weavers. From high profile queens such as Æthelthryth of Ely and Cynethryth of Mercia, to the shadowy Leofrun of East Anglia and the nameless queen of Anna of East Anglia, the book engages with sources to advance fuller narratives about even the most obscure queens of the era.Aided by resources such as genealogical tables, Early English Queens, 650–850 is an ideal resource for students and scholars at all levels, as well general readers, interested in the lives of queens and early English history.

Maria of Austria was one of the longest surviving Renaissance Empresses but until now has received little attention by biographers. This book explores her life, actions, and management of domestic affairs, which became a feared example of how an Empress could control alternative spheres of power.The volume traces the path of a Castilian orphan infanta, raised among her mother’s Portuguese ladies-in-waiting and who spent thirty years of marriage between the imperial courts of Prague and Vienna. Empress Maria encapsulates the complex dynastic functioning of the Habsburgs: devotedly married to her cousin Maximilian II, Maria had constant communication with her father Charles V and her brother Philip II while preserving her Spanish background. Her unique intertwining of roles and positions allows a fresh approach to female agency and the discussion of current issues: the rules of dynastic entente, the negotiation of discreet political roles for royal women, the reassessment of informal diplomacy, and the creation of dynastic networks parallel to the embassies. With chronological chapters discussing Empress Maria’s roles such as infanta, regent, Empress, and a widow, this volume is the perfect resource for scholars and students interested in the history of gender, court culture, and early modern Central Europe.

Maria of Austria was one of the longest surviving Renaissance Empresses but until now has received little attention by biographers. This book explores her life, actions, and management of domestic affairs, which became a feared example of how an Empress could control alternative spheres of power.The volume traces the path of a Castilian orphan infanta, raised among her mother’s Portuguese ladies-in-waiting and who spent thirty years of marriage between the imperial courts of Prague and Vienna. Empress Maria encapsulates the complex dynastic functioning of the Habsburgs: devotedly married to her cousin Maximilian II, Maria had constant communication with her father Charles V and her brother Philip II while preserving her Spanish background. Her unique intertwining of roles and positions allows a fresh approach to female agency and the discussion of current issues: the rules of dynastic entente, the negotiation of discreet political roles for royal women, the reassessment of informal diplomacy, and the creation of dynastic networks parallel to the embassies. With chronological chapters discussing Empress Maria’s roles such as infanta, regent, Empress, and a widow, this volume is the perfect resource for scholars and students interested in the history of gender, court culture, and early modern Central Europe.

This book offers a comprehensive, biography-led examination of queenship in England between 850 and 1000, tracing the development of the queen’s role from bed companion to institutional office.The period 850–1000 is critical to the development of English queenship. In the aftermath of viking invasion, the kings of Wessex expanded their hegemony over neighbouring regions, gradually establishing themselves as the kings of England. Parallel to this broad narrative of political change is the lesser-known story, told in this book, of the royal women who took part in it. The lives of three remarkable women – Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, and the West Saxon consorts Eadgifu and Ælfthryth – are central to the story, here retold through the careful analysis and reappraisal of source documents. These biographies set the stage for detailed study of the agency and advocacy of all women who held queenly office in England between 850 and 1000, as well as their legacies and reception by later generations.Early English Queens, 850–1000 gives important insights into the role women played in the first 150 years of the West Saxon dynasty, offering a compelling narrative that will appeal to students and scholars of early medieval England and royal studies.

This book offers a comprehensive, biography-led examination of queenship in England between 850 and 1000, tracing the development of the queen’s role from bed companion to institutional office.The period 850–1000 is critical to the development of English queenship. In the aftermath of viking invasion, the kings of Wessex expanded their hegemony over neighbouring regions, gradually establishing themselves as the kings of England. Parallel to this broad narrative of political change is the lesser-known story, told in this book, of the royal women who took part in it. The lives of three remarkable women – Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, and the West Saxon consorts Eadgifu and Ælfthryth – are central to the story, here retold through the careful analysis and reappraisal of source documents. These biographies set the stage for detailed study of the agency and advocacy of all women who held queenly office in England between 850 and 1000, as well as their legacies and reception by later generations.Early English Queens, 850–1000 gives important insights into the role women played in the first 150 years of the West Saxon dynasty, offering a compelling narrative that will appeal to students and scholars of early medieval England and royal studies.

Berengaria of Navarre was queen of England (1191–99) and lord of Le Mans (1204–30), but has received little attention in terms of a fully encompassing biography from Navarrese, Anglophone, and French perspectives. This book explores her political career whilst utilising the surviving documentation to demonstrate her personal and familial partnerships and life as a dowager queen.This biography follows Berengaria’s journey from a Navarrese infanta, raised in the northern Iberian kingdom, to her travels across Europe to marriage and the Third Crusade, venturing through Sicily, Cyprus, and on to the Holy Land in 1191. Berengaria’s reign and early years as dowager queen are examined in the context of the Anglo-French conflict and domestic disputes, before her decision to negotiate with the king of France, Philip Augustus, and become lord of Le Mans, for which she is far better known in local memory.The volume flows chronologically discussing her roles as infanta, queen, dowager, and lord, and is an ideal resource for scholars and those interested in the history of gender, queenship, lordship, and Western Europe in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

Berengaria of Navarre was queen of England (1191–99) and lord of Le Mans (1204–30), but has received little attention in terms of a fully encompassing biography from Navarrese, Anglophone, and French perspectives. This book explores her political career whilst utilising the surviving documentation to demonstrate her personal and familial partnerships and life as a dowager queen.This biography follows Berengaria’s journey from a Navarrese infanta, raised in the northern Iberian kingdom, to her travels across Europe to marriage and the Third Crusade, venturing through Sicily, Cyprus, and on to the Holy Land in 1191. Berengaria’s reign and early years as dowager queen are examined in the context of the Anglo-French conflict and domestic disputes, before her decision to negotiate with the king of France, Philip Augustus, and become lord of Le Mans, for which she is far better known in local memory.The volume flows chronologically discussing her roles as infanta, queen, dowager, and lord, and is an ideal resource for scholars and those interested in the history of gender, queenship, lordship, and Western Europe in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

This biography provides a well-rounded analysis of Queen Charlotte by considering her own perspectives on queenship and her role in Britain. It explores her relationships within the royal family and the court, how she was perceived in the British public sphere and in the press during her reign as queen consort, and the impact of the ‘madness’ of her husband, King George III.This book provides readers with a comprehensive, nuanced, and sensitive analysis of Queen Charlotte’s life and legacy. Charlotte embodied many of the features of queenship and womanhood that were valued in this period, such as charity and familial duty, but she also struggled with her husband’s persistent insanity, political scandals, and issues with her many children. The book provides students and general readers with an exploration of this fascinating queen, who reigned as consort for an impressive 57 years, but who has been eclipsed by the legacies of her husband and her son. It also contributes to queenship studies by enhancing our understanding of how issues such as charity, political interference, and familial scandals impacted on the position of queen consort. This biography incorporates new sources and perspectives from both Britain and Germany, including material unearthed through the Georgian Papers Programme, as well as material culture and visual culture. It explores themes of print culture, Charlotte’s friendships, identity, and royal philanthropy.Queen Charlotte is essential reading for students of eighteenth-century Britain and its Empire and the history of queenship, women, gender studies, and popular culture more broadly.

This biography provides a well-rounded analysis of Queen Charlotte by considering her own perspectives on queenship and her role in Britain. It explores her relationships within the royal family and the court, how she was perceived in the British public sphere and in the press during her reign as queen consort, and the impact of the ‘madness’ of her husband, King George III.This book provides readers with a comprehensive, nuanced, and sensitive analysis of Queen Charlotte’s life and legacy. Charlotte embodied many of the features of queenship and womanhood that were valued in this period, such as charity and familial duty, but she also struggled with her husband’s persistent insanity, political scandals, and issues with her many children. The book provides students and general readers with an exploration of this fascinating queen, who reigned as consort for an impressive 57 years, but who has been eclipsed by the legacies of her husband and her son. It also contributes to queenship studies by enhancing our understanding of how issues such as charity, political interference, and familial scandals impacted on the position of queen consort. This biography incorporates new sources and perspectives from both Britain and Germany, including material unearthed through the Georgian Papers Programme, as well as material culture and visual culture. It explores themes of print culture, Charlotte’s friendships, identity, and royal philanthropy.Queen Charlotte is essential reading for students of eighteenth-century Britain and its Empire and the history of queenship, women, gender studies, and popular culture more broadly.

Envisioning the Empress illuminates dynamic and powerful empresses who impacted not only women in their own time but whose influence extended to later generations of royalty, creating a greater role for imperial women and elevating the status of women’s roles at a crucial juncture in Japanese history. The central focus of this book is visual monarchy, exploring how the empress’ biographies were primarily expressed in visual culture and how their images worked in support of Japan’s imperial policies in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The book begins with a brief overview of premodern and modern imperial women to orient the reader. In each chapter, different media, audiences, and distribution channels for constructing the narrative of feminine imperial power in Japan are addressed alongside biographical information. It is argued that the ultimate purpose of all of these images was to elevate the empress and promote her image as a conventional role model for modern women, but one with enough celebrity cache to maintain popularity. The images of the modern empresses, as distributed by the Imperial Household Agency, strike a balance between propaganda and popular media, noble philanthropist and upper-middle class role model, celebrity and mother of the nation. The modern empress image was crafted to be both exalted and approachable and worked to establish individual biographies while simultaneously establishing the position of the empress as timeless in the public eye. Envisioning the Empress introduces students of royal studies as well as modern Japanese history and art history to this fascinating element of the history of monarchy and women’s history more broadly.

Envisioning the Empress illuminates dynamic and powerful empresses who impacted not only women in their own time but whose influence extended to later generations of royalty, creating a greater role for imperial women and elevating the status of women’s roles at a crucial juncture in Japanese history. The central focus of this book is visual monarchy, exploring how the empress’ biographies were primarily expressed in visual culture and how their images worked in support of Japan’s imperial policies in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The book begins with a brief overview of premodern and modern imperial women to orient the reader. In each chapter, different media, audiences, and distribution channels for constructing the narrative of feminine imperial power in Japan are addressed alongside biographical information. It is argued that the ultimate purpose of all of these images was to elevate the empress and promote her image as a conventional role model for modern women, but one with enough celebrity cache to maintain popularity. The images of the modern empresses, as distributed by the Imperial Household Agency, strike a balance between propaganda and popular media, noble philanthropist and upper-middle class role model, celebrity and mother of the nation. The modern empress image was crafted to be both exalted and approachable and worked to establish individual biographies while simultaneously establishing the position of the empress as timeless in the public eye. Envisioning the Empress introduces students of royal studies as well as modern Japanese history and art history to this fascinating element of the history of monarchy and women’s history more broadly.

This is the first major piece of scholarship to provide an overview of the lives of Sweden’s earliest documented queens, together with some of their most influential female relatives, who lived between 970 and 1330.Spanning a period over 350 years, approximately 40 biographies are included from the semi-legendary Viking queen Sigrid Storråda to Duchess Ingeborg of Norway, the first female de jure and de facto ruler of Sweden. Rather than merely summarising previous research, this study offers new perspectives on the evolution of queenship in medieval Sweden. It tracks the different religious, political, and socio-economic trends which defined and shaped the office of queen and identifies three main phases of development which led to royal women’s economic and political emancipation by the mid-fourteenth century. The study’s main strength lies in its close reading and novel interpretation of the surviving primary sources, enabling readers to understand the importance of these women and wider themes such as state formation, Christianisation, and international politics.The Queens and Royal Women of Sweden, c. 970–1330 is of interest to scholars of queenship and gender studies, medieval historians in general, those with an interest in ecclesiastical history, and anyone studying medieval Scandinavia.

This is the first major piece of scholarship to provide an overview of the lives of Sweden’s earliest documented queens, together with some of their most influential female relatives, who lived between 970 and 1330.Spanning a period over 350 years, approximately 40 biographies are included from the semi-legendary Viking queen Sigrid Storråda to Duchess Ingeborg of Norway, the first female de jure and de facto ruler of Sweden. Rather than merely summarising previous research, this study offers new perspectives on the evolution of queenship in medieval Sweden. It tracks the different religious, political, and socio-economic trends which defined and shaped the office of queen and identifies three main phases of development which led to royal women’s economic and political emancipation by the mid-fourteenth century. The study’s main strength lies in its close reading and novel interpretation of the surviving primary sources, enabling readers to understand the importance of these women and wider themes such as state formation, Christianisation, and international politics.The Queens and Royal Women of Sweden, c. 970–1330 is of interest to scholars of queenship and gender studies, medieval historians in general, those with an interest in ecclesiastical history, and anyone studying medieval Scandinavia.

Jane Seymour, the third wife of Henry VIII, was queen of England for only seventeen months, something which has accounted for the little interest shown in her by historians. In her lifetime, however, she was a significant political figure, while her legacy and memorialization extended beyond her early death following childbirth in October 1537.Jane Seymour: Patronage, Material Culture and Image Crafting is the first full length academic study of Jane’s life and queenship. Using extensive archival research, it pulls together all of the surviving information to provide both a biographical and a thematic account. Chapters include a consideration of Jane’s queenship and political role, her material cultural environment, her household, her financial position and her religion, before also considering her afterlife and attempts to commemorate her both officially and unofficially. In doing so, the book banishes many myths that have grown up around the queen, most notably ideas of her passivity and powerlessness and also often repeated (but unsubstantiated) claims of her conservative religious outlook. This book presents a picture of Jane as an active and highly political queen consort.The book is a valuable resource for students and established scholars since it adds considerably to knowledge of the queen and re-inserts her into the heart of the dynasty, while also drawing pertinent conclusions on sixteenth-century queenship.

Jane Seymour, the third wife of Henry VIII, was queen of England for only seventeen months, something which has accounted for the little interest shown in her by historians. In her lifetime, however, she was a significant political figure, while her legacy and memorialization extended beyond her early death following childbirth in October 1537.Jane Seymour: Patronage, Material Culture and Image Crafting is the first full length academic study of Jane’s life and queenship. Using extensive archival research, it pulls together all of the surviving information to provide both a biographical and a thematic account. Chapters include a consideration of Jane’s queenship and political role, her material cultural environment, her household, her financial position and her religion, before also considering her afterlife and attempts to commemorate her both officially and unofficially. In doing so, the book banishes many myths that have grown up around the queen, most notably ideas of her passivity and powerlessness and also often repeated (but unsubstantiated) claims of her conservative religious outlook. This book presents a picture of Jane as an active and highly political queen consort.The book is a valuable resource for students and established scholars since it adds considerably to knowledge of the queen and re-inserts her into the heart of the dynasty, while also drawing pertinent conclusions on sixteenth-century queenship.

This book provides a comprehensive account of the long-neglected but fascinating figure Marie-Thérèse Charlotte (1778-1851), the only surviving daughter of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, Duchesse d’Angoulême, then dauphine and de jure Queen of France.Using a vast array of iconographic sources as proof that the princess was far from unknown to her contemporaries, Mensch explores the evolution of Marie-Thérèse Charlotte's image, arguing that although her life was marked by many exiles, she occupied and redefined the role of a queen during the Bourbon Restoration (1814-1830). A de facto queen during the reign of her uncles, Louis XVIII and Charles X, she truly became one in exile. The last avatar of an Ancien Régime society that had disappeared, she continued to represent a certain idea of monarchy at the heart of a Europe in the throes of revolutions. Her life raises questions about queenship in France and the role, place and definition of women in the royal family after more than 20 years, marked by the Revolution and the Empire.This volume stands as valuable resource for students and scholars of French history, the long nineteenth century, the Napoleonic period, and queenship and court studies. For general readers, the book presents a unique opportunity to discover a little-known historical figure.

This book provides a comprehensive account of the long-neglected but fascinating figure Marie-Thérèse Charlotte (1778-1851), the only surviving daughter of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, Duchesse d’Angoulême, then dauphine and de jure Queen of France.Using a vast array of iconographic sources as proof that the princess was far from unknown to her contemporaries, Mensch explores the evolution of Marie-Thérèse Charlotte's image, arguing that although her life was marked by many exiles, she occupied and redefined the role of a queen during the Bourbon Restoration (1814-1830). A de facto queen during the reign of her uncles, Louis XVIII and Charles X, she truly became one in exile. The last avatar of an Ancien Régime society that had disappeared, she continued to represent a certain idea of monarchy at the heart of a Europe in the throes of revolutions. Her life raises questions about queenship in France and the role, place and definition of women in the royal family after more than 20 years, marked by the Revolution and the Empire.This volume stands as valuable resource for students and scholars of French history, the long nineteenth century, the Napoleonic period, and queenship and court studies. For general readers, the book presents a unique opportunity to discover a little-known historical figure.

This book provides readers with the first biography in English on Leonor of England, bringing to life an understudied but fascinating figure who has been overshadowed by her famed parents and brothers. Leonor, also known as Eleanor, was queen consort of Castile (1170–1214), the wife of King Alfonso VIII and, as a Plantagenet, part of one of Europe’s most powerful dynastic networks.The chapters move chronologically through the queen’s life but centre around key themes such as her enigmatic dowry, her participation in European diplomacy and the development of courtly culture, the arts and literature in Castile. Drawing together a wide range of sources, from visual and literary accounts, royal itineraries and chronicles to her dower charter and legal texts, this study unveils Leonor as a powerful woman, well endowed with the means to exercise her authority with autonomy and decisiveness. She inaugurated the very first marriage alliance between England and an Iberian kingdom, promoted the family cult of martyr Thomas Becket in his adopted kingdom and contributed decisively to the consolidation of Burgos as the royal city and Castilian capital. Her arrival on the peninsula was key to the dynastic and identity projects that developed throughout the reign of Alfonso VIII. She was the very first queen consort in Castile to have a personal household fully funded by her dower resources and entirely at her service, which provided for a fabulous court attended by some of the best sculptors, musicians, troubadours, scholars, painters and minstrels.Leonor of England offers medieval students and scholars interested in queenship, women’s history, court culture and dynastic power more broadly a rare exploration of a figure who has remained in the shadows until now.