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The queens and regents of the High Middle Ages were among the most powerful women in European history. From Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122–1204) to Blanche of Castile (1188–1252), the medieval queen exercised real political power, served as regent for her minor sons, and shaped the political and cultural life of her kingdom. The queen’s power was rooted in her role as consort of the king, in her role as regent for her minor sons, and in her role as the mother of the heir. The queen’s power was also rooted in her personal qualities, in her family connections, and in her management of the royal household and the royal estates.
The standard English-language treatment is Anne J. Duggan (ed.), “Queens and Queenship in Medieval Europe” (1997). John Carmi Parsons, “The Court and Household of Eleanor of Castile” (1977), is the indispensable case study. The page below uses both, and the surviving chancery rolls and wardrobe accounts as primary material.
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122–1204) was one of the most powerful and most fascinating women of the High Middle Ages. She was the duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, and she brought the vast duchy of Aquitaine to her first husband, King Louis VII of France, when she married him in 1137. Eleanor accompanied Louis on the Second Crusade (1147–1149), and her presence on the crusade was a source of controversy and scandal. Eleanor and Louis had two daughters, but no sons, and the marriage was annulled in 1152.
Eleanor married Henry Plantagenet (the future King Henry II of England) in 1152, just two months after the annulment of her first marriage. The marriage brought the vast duchy of Aquitaine under English control, and it was the foundation of the Angevin Empire that would dominate much of France and England for the next century. Eleanor and Henry had eight children, including King Richard I “the Lionheart” and King John, and Eleanor played a major role in the politics of the Angevin Empire.
Eleanor’s rebellion against Henry in 1173–1174 was a major event in the politics of the period. Eleanor supported the rebellion of her sons against their father, and she was imprisoned by Henry for the next sixteen years. Eleanor was released in 1189, when Richard became king, and she served as regent of England during Richard’s absence on the Third Crusade (1190–1191). Eleanor also played a major role in rescuing Richard from his captivity in Germany in 1193–1194, and she negotiated the ransom that secured Richard’s release.
Blanche of Castile
Blanche of Castile (1188–1252) was another of the most powerful women of the period. She was the granddaughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine (through her mother, Eleanor of England), and she was the wife of King Louis VIII of France. Blanche became regent of France when Louis died in 1226, leaving the throne to his young son Louis IX (the future Saint Louis). Blanche served as regent for the next twelve years (1226–1234), and she exercised a major influence on French politics for the rest of her life.
Blanche’s regency was marked by a series of crises, including a rebellion of the French barons and a war with King Henry III of England. Blanche handled these crises with skill and determination, and she was widely admired for her political and military abilities. Blanche also played a major role in the education of her son Louis, and she shaped his piety, his justice, and his devotion to the Church. Louis became one of the most respected kings of the medieval period, and Blanche was widely regarded as one of the most capable regents of the period.
Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou (1430–1482) was the queen of King Henry VI of England, and she played a major role in the politics of the Wars of the Roses. Margaret was the daughter of René of Anjou, the count of Provence and titular king of Naples and Jerusalem, and she married Henry in 1445. Henry suffered from a mental illness that made him incapable of ruling, and Margaret took an active role in the government of the realm. Margaret was a capable and determined leader, but she was unable to prevent the collapse of the Lancastrian cause in the Wars of the Roses. Margaret was defeated and captured by the Yorkist forces at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471, and her son Edward was killed in the battle. Margaret was ransomed by King Louis XI of France in 1475, and she retired to France, where she died in 1482.
The Role of the Queen
The role of the queen in the High Middle Ages was complex and varied. The queen was the consort of the king, and she had a formal role in the ceremonies and the rituals of the royal court. The queen was the mistress of the royal household, and she was responsible for the management of the household, the provisioning of the kitchen, the supervision of the servants, and the education of the children. The queen was the patroness of the arts and learning, and she supported the churches, the monasteries, and the universities of her realm. The queen was the mother of the heir, and she played a major role in the education of the heir and in the management of the royal estates during the minority of the heir.
The queen’s power was rooted in her personal qualities, in her family connections, and in her management of the royal household and the royal estates. The queen who was the daughter of a powerful king or duke could draw on her family’s resources and connections to exercise power. The queen who was the widow of a powerful king could exercise considerable power as the regent for her minor son or as the mother of the heir. The queen who was the mother of a powerful king could exercise considerable influence on her son and on the politics of the realm.
The Queen Regent
The queen regent was the queen who ruled the realm on behalf of her minor son. The queen regent had a formal role in the government of the realm, and she was typically assisted by a council of regency that included the great lords of the realm, the archbishops and bishops, and the major officials of the royal household. The queen regent had the power to issue orders in the name of the minor king, to preside over the council of regency, and to represent the realm in foreign affairs.
The queen regent faced a number of challenges in the exercise of her power. She had to maintain the support of the great lords of the realm, who might rebel against her rule if they felt that their interests were not being served. She had to manage the royal finances, which were often strained by the costs of the government and the wars. She had to defend the realm against external enemies and internal rebels, and she had to maintain order and justice in the realm. The queen regent who was successful in meeting these challenges could exercise considerable power and could shape the politics of the realm for decades.
The queen regent was often assisted in the exercise of her power by a favorite — a knight, a clerk, or a bishop who enjoyed her confidence and who advised her on the affairs of the realm. The favorite could be a powerful figure in his own right, and he could exercise considerable influence on the politics of the realm. The favorite could also be a source of controversy, and the queen regent who was too closely associated with her favorite could face opposition from the great lords of the realm.
Sources
Principal sources used in this article:
- David Herlihy, Medieval Households (Harvard, 1985).
Further reading:
- John Boswell, Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality (Chicago, 1980), ch. 4.
For a recent single-volume synthesis with full scholarly apparatus, see the relevant chapter of Barbara H. Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages (University of Toronto Press, 2014).