This book examines the emergence of the queen consort in medieval England, beginning with the pre-Conquest era and ending with death of Margaret of France, second wife of Edward I, in 1307. Though many of the figures in this volumes are well known, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine and Eleanor of Castille, the chapters here are unique in the equal consideration given to the tenures of the lesser known consorts, including: Adeliza of Louvain, second wife of Henry I; Margaret of France, wife of Henry the Young King; and even Isabella of Gloucester, the first wife of King John. These innovative and thematic biographies highlight the evolution of the office of the queen and the visible roles that consorts played, which were integral to the creation of the identity of early English monarchy. This volume and its companions reveal the changing nature of English consortship from the Norman Conquest to today.
Author(s): Aidan Norrie, Carolyn Harris, J.L. Laynesmith, Danna R. Messer, Elena Woodacre
Series: Queenship and Power
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 327
City: Cham
Acknowledgements
Praise for Norman to Early Plantagenet Consorts
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Figures
List of Tables
Preface
Chapter 1: The Emergence of the Queen Consort in England, 1066–1307: Power, Influence, Dynasty
Governance and Queens Consort
Visibility
Chapter 2: Identifying Queenship in Pre-Conquest England
The Evolution of the Early English Consort
Political Agency and the Lifecycle of Queenship I: Eadgifu and Ælfthryth
Political Agency and the Lifecycle of Queenship II: Emma of Normandy and Edith of Wessex
Chapter 3: Mathilda of Flanders: Innovator
Marriage and Family
Governance and Queenship
Royal Justice: The Cases
Queenly Intercession versus Juridical Authority
The Innovator
Chapter 4: Matilda of Scotland: Peacemaker and Perfect Princess
Early Life, Education, and Marriage
Peaceweaver, Patron, and Politician
Death, Burial, and Legacy
Chapter 5: Adeliza of Louvain: Patron
A New Queen of England
Patron of Cultural and Social Memory
Lady of Arundel
Political Mediator
Shaping a Legacy
Chapter 6: Matilda of Boulogne: Indispensable Partner
Heiress of Boulogne: Matilda’s Early Life and Youth
From Curiales to Rex and Regina
Stephen’s Wise and Good Queen
Peritus et Virtus
Indispensable Partner
Chapter 7: Eleanor of Aquitaine: The Art of Governing
The Emergence of Influence
Motherhood, Agency, and Rebellion
Influence and Agency in Widowhood
The Legacy of Authority
Chapter 8: Margaret of France: Conciliator Queen of England and Hungary
The French Royal Princess as Conciliator
Margaret the Junior Queen of England and the Rebellion of 1173–1174
Queen Margaret’s Life with Henry the Young King
Margaret as Dowager Queen of England
Power and Influence: Margaret the Queen of Hungary
Chapter 9: Berengaria of Navarre: Overshadowed Consort
Early Life and Childhood in Navarre
Queen of England
Dowager Queen
Lady of Le Mans
The Power of a Consort and Dowager Queen
Chapter 10: Isabella of Gloucester: Heiress, Lord, Forgotten Consort
Family, Dynasty, and Inheritance
Countess of Gloucester and Mortain
Lordship Evidenced
Intercessor
A Consort, But Not a Queen
Isabella’s Final Years: 1200–1217
Chapter 11: Isabella of Angoulême: The Vanished Queen?
The Vanished Queen?
Beginnings: Family, Inheritance, and Poitevin Politics
The Lusignans, Betrothal, and Marriage
A Public Queen: 1200–1207
A Queen and Her Dynasty, 1207–1217
Comtesse-Reine
Death and Commemoration
Chapter 12: Eleanor of Provence: Caring Consort and Controversial Queen
Background and Early Years as a Royal Bride
Factionalism: Savoyards, Lusignans, and the English Aristocracy
Politics: Regency, International Diplomacy, and the Threat of Baronial Reform
“The Sower of … Discord”: Eleanor and the Second Barons’ War
The Twilight Years: Family, Spirituality, and Legacy
Chapter 13: Eleanor of Castile: A Consort of Contradictions
Birth and Marriage
A Dutiful Queen: Childbearing, Diplomacy, and Politics
Crossing the Line: Landholding and Finance
Death
A Complex and Nuanced Queen
Chapter 14: Margaret of France: Enigmatic Consort
Mother of the Nation
Intercession
Estates
Affinity
Queen Dowager
The Enigmatic Queen
Chapter 15: Epilogue: Shifting Sands and Changing Lands
Shifting Sands
Changing Lands
Passing the Torch
Index
