Robert II, King of Scots and grandson of Robert the Bruce was a handsome, charming man who had many descendants. He not only had two wives who had numerous children but many mistresses who had babies as well.
Eleanor of Castile: The Shadow Queen, by Sara Cockerill
October 30, 2015 By
Eleanor was a highly dynamic, forceful personality whose interest in the arts, politics and religion were highly influential in her day – and whose temper had even bishops quaking in their shoes.
Medieval Queens and Queenship: the Present Status of Research in Income and Power
August 29, 2015 By
This paper presents some thoughts and conclusions on the state of a multidisciplinary field of Medieval Studies, queens and queenship, concentrating mainly on issues of income and power.
Eadgifu, Anglo-Saxon Queen
July 4, 2015 By
What little historical records we have pertaining to Queen Eadgifu tell us she exercised considerable power.
Cynethryth, Queen of the Mercians
May 28, 2015 By
Cynethryth and Offa were the ultimate power couple in eighth century England.
The Female Consort as Intercessor in Sixteenth-Century Saxony
February 11, 2015 By
In the first part, I will examine how the consort’s position was defined in the 1537 coronation of Christian III and Dorothea of Denmark-Norway.
Charlotte of Savoy, Queen of France
February 2, 2015 By
Charlotte of Savoy, Queen of France By Susan Abernethy Charlotte of Savoy came from a large family and was married at the tender age of nine under difficult circumstances. Her husband, the Dauphin Louis of France was twenty-eight at the time of the wedding and they would not consummate the marriage until Charlotte was sixteen. […]
Materiality in the Queenship of Isabeau of Bavaria
October 18, 2014 By
This thesis revisits the origins of Isabeau of Bavaria’s notorious reputation – her ‘Black Legend’.
Premodern Queenship and Diplomacy in Europe – conference and lectures to be hosted by Canterbury Christ Church University
September 10, 2014 By
Canterbury Christ Church University is hosting two free public lectures this week on the role that medieval and early modern queens played in diplomatic relations throughout Europe.
Berengaria of Navarre, Queen of England
September 4, 2014 By
Of the many princesses available as a bride for Richard the Lionheart, King of England, Berengaria of Navarre was chosen to be his queen.
Caught in Love’s Grip: Passion and Moral Agency in French Courtly Romance
August 12, 2014 By
French royal courts in the late twelfth century were absolutely smitten with love. Troubadaours traveled from place to place reciting stories of knights and the ladies they wooed.
Annabella Drummond, Queen of Scotland
July 17, 2014 By
Annabella Drummond was married to Robert III, King of Scots. They had the longest duration of a Scottish royal marriage in history
Viking-Age Queens and the Formation of Identity
July 12, 2014 By
One may ask, then, not why there exists such a paucity of these women in the written record, but why any are mentioned at all, and for what purposes?
The Tale of Bealhildis or how an Anglian slave became a saintly French Queen
June 23, 2014 By
It is not every day England gives a home girl to be worshipped as a Saint by enthusiastic Gallic crowds.
Empress Matilda and the anarchy: the problem of royal succession in medieval England
June 22, 2014 By
Why is it that Matilda was unable to secure the throne in her own right? And why do historians continue to debate the legitimacy of her brief lordship?
Margaret Stewart of Scotland, Dauphine of France
May 22, 2014 By
The chroniclers say Margaret had a talent for writing rhymes and poetry like her father. She was fond of court life and was popular with the courtiers but for the most part bored and unhappy.
Making a difference in tenth-century politics: King Athelstan’s sisters and Frankish queenship
May 10, 2014 By
In the early years of the tenth century several Anglo-Saxon royal women, all daughters of King Edward the Elder of Wessex (899-924) and sisters (or half-sisters) of his son King Athelstan (924-39), were despatched across the Channel as brides for Frankish and Saxon rulers and aristocrats. This article addresses the fate of some of these women through an analysis of their political identities.
BOOK REVIEW: “Defending the City of God” : A Medieval Queen, the First Crusades, and the Quest for Peace in Jerusalem, by Sharan Newman
May 9, 2014 By
This is my review of Sharan Newman’s latest book, Defending the City of God: A Medieval Queen, the First Crusades, and the Quest for Peace in Jerusalem.
Call for Papers: Pre-modern Queenship and Diplomacy in Europe
April 17, 2014 By
Call for Papers: Pre-modern Queenship and Diplomacy in Europe Canterbury Christ Church University on 12-13 September 2014 (Deadline for CFP, 30 April 2014). This conference organised by Canterbury Christ Church University and Lancaster University seeks to raise important questions about the role that premodern queens played in diplomatic relations throughout Europe. Traditionally, female involvement in diplomacy […]
Queenship, Nunneries and Royal Widowhood in Carolingian Europe
March 30, 2014 By
Fulk‟s letter therefore introduces us to some central aspects of Carolingian thinking about the appropriate behaviour of laywomen especially, and serves as a way into the principal themes of this article. In particular, it is noticeable that the archbishop highlighted his expectations of Richildis in two roles: her supposed misdemeanour was concerned specifically with a failure to meet her obligations as a widow and as a queen.
Ermengarde de Beaumont, Queen of Scotland
March 27, 2014 By
Very little is known of Ermengarde de Beaumont who became Queen of Scotland in 1186 when she married the forty three year old King William I of Scotland, later known as ‘The Lyon’.
The Wardrobe of Margaret of Denmark, Queen of Scotland
March 19, 2014 By
Margaret of Denmark dressed at the height of fashion in mid-15th century Scotland.
Elizabeth de Burgh, Queen of Scotland
March 12, 2014 By
When Robert the Bruce carried on his fight for the Scottish throne, Elizabeth and the rest of Bruce’s family were to suffer the consequences.
New Books on Medieval Women
March 9, 2014 By
Five new books that look at women in the Middle Ages, including queens and ogling.
Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland
February 27, 2014 By
Back to Scotland with the story of the wife of King James I. Her husband was murdered before her eyes
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