Queens
Elena Woodacre|Miriam Shadis
As the wives, mothers, and daughters of kings, medieval queens acquired their status in one two ways, either through marriage or, less commonly, inheritance. The experience being a queen, particular as partner to king, development office role queen regent evolved over time with monarchy, queenship varied across regions different legal codes customs informed female Women who became often shared straddling cultures families (natal marital), and, thus, they were alien outsiders simultaneously had greatest access center power, king. Often women not native territory which associated names by are known, for example, Blanche Castile, may be misleading: Blanche, was from France marriage. Queens thus served intercessors, patrons, cultural innovators well operated great lords, rulers, often, but always, mothers. historiography is equally varied, beginning positivist-inspired biographies 19th century subsequently influenced developments social history during 1960s 1970s interdisciplinary feminist approaches recent decades. Currently, scholarship seeks recover histories individual queens, understand specifics queen’s within institution how gender at highest levels political, cultural, economic power Middle Ages. first principle organization this article chronological, sections on Early Medieval (Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, Germanic) Merovingian Carolingian Queens. Because always realm, however, because extent (and number) European monarchies both continent Britain changed radically post-Carolingian era, remainder organized geographically chronologically, England (General, Anglo-Norman Queens, Plantagenet Lancastrian, York, Tudor England); Scotland, (sections Capetian Valois France), Germany Italy, Scandinavia, kingdoms Iberian Peninsula Iberia generally Crown Aragon, León-Castile, Portugal). In some instances, have merited extensive treated separate sections. concludes liminal comparatively important queens/empresses Byzantium, Crusader Kingdom Jerusalem. While general focus bibliography queenship, it recognize lives royal or equivalents, beyond Europe, featured Global section.