Queenship, Gender, and Reputation in the Medieval and Early Modern West, 1060-1600 (Queenship and Power)

"This edited collection opens new ways to look at queenship in areas and countries not usually studied and reflects the increasingly interdisciplinary work and geographic range of the field. This book is a forerunner in queenship and re-invents the reputations of the women and some of the men. The contributors answers questions about the nature of queenship, reputation of queens, and gender roles in the medieval and early modern west. The essays question the viability of propaganda, gossip, and rumor that still characterizes some queens in modern histories. The wide geographic range covered by the contributors moves queenship studies beyond France and England to understudied places such as Sweden and Hungary. Even the essays on more familiar countries explores areas not usually studied, such as the role of Edward II's stepmother, Margaret of France in Gaveston's downfall. The chapters clearly have a common thread and the editors' summary and description of the collection is valuable in assisting the reader. The collection is divided into two sections "Biography, Gossip, and History" and "Politics, Ambition, and Scandal." The editors and contributors, including Zita Eva Rohr and Elena Woodacre, are scholars at the top of their field and several and engage and debate with recent scholarship. This collection will appeal internationally to literary scholars and gender studies scholars as well historians interested in the countries included in the collection."-- Publisher's website Dedication 6 Acknowledgments 7 Contents 9 List of Figures 15 Contributors 11 Introduction 16 Notes 34 Part I: Biography, Gossip and History 44 Lifestyles of the Rich and (In?)Animate: Object Biography and the Reliquary Cross of Queen Adelaide of Hungary 45 The Cross and Its History 48 Gems on the Adelaide Cross: Reuse and Meaning(s) 54 Comparison with Similar Reliquaries 57 Meaning and Memory in Medieval Period 58 Conclusion 60 Notes 62 Appendix I 67 I. In the Upper Part 67 II. In the Right Arm of the Cross 68 III. In the Left Arm of the Cross 68 IV. In the Lower Part 69 Gender, Reputation, and Female Rule in the World of Brantôme 70 Brantôme as Historian 72 Anne of Brittany and Anne of France: Jealous Rivals? 73 Anne of France: In Praise of Marriage 78 Notes 85 True Lies and Strange Mirrors: The Uses and Abuses of Rumor, Propaganda, and Innuendo During the Closing Stages of the Hundred Years War 91 Notes 107 Etienne Pasquier on French History and Female Strategies of Power 116 Notes 132 Part II: Politics, Ambition and Scandal 135 The Unruly Queen: Blanche of Namur and Dysfunctional Rulership in Medieval Sweden 136 Introduction 136 Queenship 138 A Royal Equilibrium 140 Sexual Slander 142 The Rejected Queen 145 The Unruly Queen and the Weak King 148 Notes 150 Conspiracy and Alienation: Queen Margaret of France and Piers Gaveston, the King’s Favorite 156 Appendix: Timeline: July 1307–March 1310 171 Notes 172 Isabeau of Bavaria, Queen of France: Queenship and Political Authority as “Lieutenante-Général” of the Realm 179 Notes 191 Leonor of Navarre: The Price of Ambition 197 Leonor in the Historical Record 199 Evaluating Leonor’s Rule and Reputation in the Works of Later Authors 204 Conclusions: Reality versus Reputation 210 Notes 213 Bibliography 219 Unpublished Primary Sources 219 Published Primary Sources 219 Secondary Literature 223 Index 242 This edited collection opens new ways to look at queenship in areas and countries not usually studied and reflects the increasingly interdisciplinary work and geographic range of the field. This book is a forerunner in queenship and re-invents the reputations of the women and some of the men. The contributors answers questions about the nature of queenship, reputation of queens, and gender roles in the medieval and early modern west. The essays question the viability of propaganda, gossip, and rumor that still characterizes some queens in modern histories. The wide geographic range covered by the contributors moves queenship studies beyond France and England to understudied places such as Sweden and Hungary. Even the essays on more familiar countries explores areas not usually studied, such as the role of Edward II's stepmother, Margaret of France in Gaveston's downfall. The chapters clearly have a common thread and the editors' summary and description of the collection is valuable in assisting the reader. The collection is divided into two sections zBiography, Gossip, and Historyy and zPolitics, Ambition, and Scandal.y The editors and contributors, including Zita Eva Rohr and Elena Woodacre, are scholars at the top of their field and several and engage and debate with recent scholarship. This collection will appeal internationally to literary scholars and gender studies scholars as well historians interested in the countries included in the collection Front Matter....Pages i-xliv Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Lifestyles of the Rich and (In?)Animate: Object Biography and the Reliquary Cross of Queen Adelaide of Hungary....Pages 3-27 Gender, Reputation, and Female Rule in the World of Brantôme....Pages 29-49 True Lies and Strange Mirrors: The Uses and Abuses of Rumor, Propaganda, and Innuendo During the Closing Stages of the Hundred Years War....Pages 51-75 Etienne Pasquier on French History and Female Strategies of Power....Pages 77-95 Front Matter....Pages 97-97 The Unruly Queen: Blanche of Namur and Dysfunctional Rulership in Medieval Sweden....Pages 99-118 Conspiracy and Alienation: Queen Margaret of France and Piers Gaveston, the King’s Favorite....Pages 119-141 Isabeau of Bavaria, Queen of France: Queenship and Political Authority as “Lieutenante-Général” of the Realm....Pages 143-160 Leonor of Navarre: The Price of Ambition....Pages 161-182 Back Matter....Pages 183-214