Political Aspects of Medieval Queenship

[le furet]

Women and Power in the Middle Ages: Political Aspects of Medieval Queenship

By Raphaela Averkorn

Political Systems and Definitions of Gender Roles, edited by Ann Katherine Isaacs (University of Pisa, 2001)

Synopsis: Examines the role and life of medieval queens, using examples from queens in Merovingian and Carolingian states, England, France, Castile and Aragon. Concludes that in many countries medieval empresses and queens had the possibility of participating actively in politics. But this participation could be limited due to national practices and laws and changing times. In some countries princesses could inherit the kingdom and rule as queens, although in fact this was not very often the case because in general there were male heirs when the king died. More frequently queens were involved in politics as the wives of a king, or as a dowager queens and regents for their young sons. In those cases their power was in many cases quite important and their tasks theoretically often not limited, although in practice the queens had to find “their place” on the political stage.

http://www.stm.unipi.it/Clioh/tabs/libr ... _11-30.pdf

[thibaut de brabant]

Merci