The Wars of the Roses marked a period of political instability which brought into question existing ideologies of kingship and, within that, of queenship, reshaping the latter office and its rituals.
Book Tour: The King’s Pearl by Melita Thomas
October 2, 2017 by
We’re pleased to announce another book tour underway, with Melita Thomas unveiling her latest: The King’s Pearl: Henry VIII and His Daughter Mary on Medievalists.net. The book is a re-examination of Henry VIII’s eldest daughter, Mary, and her relationship with her father.
Joanna II of Anjou-Durazzo, the Glorious Queen
August 8, 2017 by
This short essay reflects on Queen Joanna as a test case of both the difficulties and the potential that always reside in communication and confrontation between disciplines, even when they are as closely related as history and art history.
10 Medieval Royal Parents Whose Decisions Influence the Lives of Royal Children Today
June 3, 2017 by
From royal baby names to marrying for love – how five medieval English couples influence the lives of royal children today.
Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Queen and A Mother
May 18, 2017 by
The mere mention of Eleanor of Aquitaine brings to mind an remarkable woman in many respects.
Isabel of Aragon (d. 1336): Model Queen or Model Saint?
April 17, 2017 by
This study of Isabel of Aragon (c. 1270–1336), wife of King Dinis of Portugal (1279–1325), who was venerated as a saint from shortly after her death, aims to explore the relationship between Isabel’s queenship and her sainthood.
Raising infanta Catalina de Aragón to be Catherine Queen of England
March 11, 2017 by
My aim in this study is to focus on queenship, particularly the formative years before 1509 when she was learning to be a queen.
Intercession and Motherhood: The Queenships of Philippa of Hainault and Anne of Bohemia
March 8, 2017 by
In this post, author Conor Byrne discusses the rule of two medieval queens: Anne of Bohemia and Philippa of Hainault.
The Medieval Magazine: Celebrating International Women’s Day (Volume 3, Issue 4)
March 2, 2017 by
We’ve just released our latest issue of the Medieval Magazine in celebration of International Women’s Day!
Queenship in England: 1308-1485 Gender and Power in the Late Middle Ages: Book Tour and Giveaway!
February 15, 2017 by
Medieval Readers! Today, we’re hosting day 3 of Conor Byrne’s Book Tour and running an international contest to give away a copy of his latest novel: Queenship in England: 1308-1485 Gender and Power in the Late Middle Ages Want a chance to win it?
Genghis Khan’s Womenfolk: How Imperial Women Shaped the Mongol Conquests and the Mongol Empire
February 11, 2017 by
In this lecture, Professor Broadbridge will present three key moments from Mongol history to illustrate the way that imperial women’s contributions have dramatically changed Mongol history as we know it.
Anne of Kiev (c.1024–c.1075) and a reassessment of maternal power in the minority kingship of Philip I of France
February 4, 2017 by
Anne of Kiev was the only medieval princess of Rus’ to travel to France for a dynastic marriage with a French king
Gloriosa Regina or “Alien Queen”? Some Reconsiderations on Anna Yaroslavna’s Queenship (r. 1050-1075)
December 8, 2016 by
Gloriosa Regina or “Alien Queen”? Some Reconsiderations on Anna Yaroslavna’s Queenship (r. 1050-1075) By Talia Zajac Royal Studies Journal, Vol.3:1 (2016) Abstract: The article questions the image that has emerged in secondary sources of Anna Yaroslavna (r. 1050- c. 1075), the Rus-born wife of King Henri I of France (d. 1060), as an “alien queen” who remained […]
Richard I and Berengaria of Navarre
July 30, 2016 by
Berengaria of’ Navarre was brought to Richard’s court, then at Messina in Sicily, in March 1191. She accompanied the crusader-king on his journey east and they were married in Cyprus, at Limassol, on 12 May 1191.
Isabelle of Angoulême: Jezebel of the Middle Ages?
July 28, 2016 by
Matthew Paris (d.1259) said in one of his chronicles of the history of England that, ‘she ought to be called a wicked Jezebel, rather than Isabel.’
Isabella of France: The Rebel Queen
July 2, 2016 by
Read an excerpt from the new book by Kathryn Warner
Anne of Bohemia, Queen of England
June 14, 2016 by
By Susan Abernethy King Richard II’s first wife Anne has the distinction of being the only English queen from Bohemia. The marriage was a by-product of the schism within the Papacy in the fourteenth century. When the young Anne came to England, one of the chroniclers described her as a “scrap of humanity”. Anne was […]
Jeanne de Valois, Queen of France and Duchess of Berri
June 6, 2016 by
By Susan Abernethy Jeanne de Valois was the daughter, sister, and wife of kings. She was born with disabilities and suffered through a miserable marriage. In the end she became devoted to and died in a religious life, eventually becoming a saint. Jeanne was known as Jeanne de France, Jeanne de Valois and Joan de […]
Anne of Brittany, Queen of France
May 16, 2016 by
Anne of Brittany was born in the Castle of Nantes on January 25, 1477. A sister named Isabeau was born a few years later. Her father was Duke Francis II of Brittany and her mother was Marguerite, sister of the Comte de Foix.
Yolande de Dreux, Queen of Scots
April 19, 2016 by
Susan Abernethy brings us back to medieval Scotland once again to look at another Scottish Queen, Yolande de Dreux.
Marie de Coucy, Queen of Scots
April 13, 2016 by
Susan Abernethy brings us the story of Alexander II of Scotland’s French Queen, Marie de Coucy.
The Funeral of Queen Elizabeth of York, the First Tudor Queen of England
March 15, 2016 by
Elizabeth of York, Queen to King Henry VII of England, died in the Tower of London on February 11, 1503. She had given birth to a daughter Katherine on February 2 and never recovered. The death was a shock to her husband, her children and to the nation.
Osthryth, Queen of the Mercians
March 6, 2016 by
Osthryth was one of the few women mentioned by the Venerable Bede in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People. She was born into a time of great strife. There was much tension and bad blood between the ruling houses of the various kingdoms in England before unification, especially between Mercia and Northumbria.
Eadgyth, Queen Consort of Germany and Duchess of Saxony
February 24, 2016 by
Eadgyth had an impressive pedigree. She was the grand-daughter of Alfred the Great, daughter of Edward the Elder and half-sister of Aethelstan, all of whom were powerful kings of Wessex in England. It was only by fate she ended up as the wife of Otto I, Duke of Saxony and King of Germany.
Isabeau of Bavaria, Anne of France, and the History of Female Regency in France
January 20, 2016 by
With Charles VI and Isabeau of Bavaria the history of female regency in France takes a turn of the greatest importance, moving towards a conception of regency as a proxy reign for the king exercised ideally by the queen mother.
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