Inhaltsangabe
Despite today's highly developed interest in women's history, the queens of medieval Europe are still often treated as figures of romance and legend, as mere pendants to their husbands' reigns or as victims of a system that bartered its women as diplomatic pawns but denied them real power. These essays show, however, that opportunities for power were not lacking for these women; kings, queens and observers alike understood medieval queenship in all its aspects as a vital and dynamic force in the life of any kingdom. A wide-ranging analysis of medieval queenship is provided by these ten essays, written by North American and European historians who have mined a rich variety of diplomatic, literary and archaeological sources. More than simple biographical sketches, this volume examines queenship across a broad geographical and chronological spectrum. Medieval Queenship is a probing investigation of the foundations of queens' power and the means by which queens exploited them.
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