Medieval Queenship

267 Pages·1998·15.052 MB·English

by  John Carmi Parsons (eds.)

MEDIEVAL
QUEENSHIP
Also by John Carmi Parsons
THE COURT AND HOUSEHOLD OF ELEANOR OF CASTILE IN 1290
HUNTINGDON BOROUGH COURT ROLLS (with J.Ambrose Raftis, CSB)
MEDIEVAL
QUEENSHIP
EDITED BY JOHN CARMI PARSONS
St. Martin's Press
New York
MEDIEVAL QUEENSH IP
Copyright © John Carmi Parsons, 1993, 1998.
Genealogical tables in chapter 10 © Armin Wolf 1986
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For
information. address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue,
New York, N.Y 10010.
ISBN 978-0-312-17298-5 ISBN 978-1-137-08859-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-137-08859-8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Medieval queenship I edited by John Carmi Parsons.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents: Family, sex, and power: the rhythms of medieval
queenship /John Carmi Parsons - Roles and functions of queens in
Arpadian and Angevin Hungary (1000-1386 A.D.) I Janos M. Bak -
Queenship in medieval Denmark I lnge Skovgaard-Peterson (with Nanna
Damsholt) - Women at the court of Charlemagne: a case of monstrous
regiment? I Janet L. Nelson - Mothers, daughters, and power: some
Plantagenet evidence, 1150-1500 I John Carmi Parsons - Queens
dowager and queens regent in tenth-century Leon and Navarre I Roger
Collins - Capetian women and the regency I Andre Poulet - The
king's mother and royal prerogative in early-sixteenth-century
France I Elizabeth McCartney - The portrayal of royal women in
England, mid-tenth to mid-twelfth centuries I Pauline Stafford -
Reigning queens in medieval Europe: when, where, and why I Armin
Wolf- Female succession and the language of power in the writings
of twelfth-century churchmen I Lois L. Huneycutt.
I. Monarchy-Europe-History. 2. Queens-Europe-History.
I. Parsons, John Carmi, I947-
JC375.M43 1993
321'.6'0940902 -dc20 93-I0879
CIP
lnteriorde.Jign by Harry Katz
First published in hardcover in the United States of America in I993
First St. Martin's paperback edition January 1998
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 I
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Illustrations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. vii
Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii
1. Introduction: Family, Sex, and Power:
The Rhythms of Medieval Queenship John CarmiPardotM ..... .
2. Roles and Functions of Queens in Arpa.dian
and Angevin Hungary (1000-1386 A.D.) Jdnod/11. Bale . ...... 13
3. Queenship in Medieval Denmark lnge Slcovgaard-Peterden
(in coLlaboration withNannaDamJhoLt) . .................... 25
4. Womenatthe CourtofCharlemagne:
A Case of Monstrous Regiment? JanetL.Neuon ........... 43
5. Mothers, Daughters, Marriage, Power: Some Plantagenet
Evidence, 1150-1500 John CarmiPardo!M ................ 63
6. Queens-Dowager and Queens-Regent
in Tenth-Century Leon and Navarre Roger CoLLitM .......... 79
7. Capetian Women and the Regency:
The Genesis of a Vocation Andre Poulet . ................. 9 3
8. The King's Mother and Royal Prerogative
in Early-Sixteenth-Century France ELizabeth McCartney . .... 117
9. The Portrayal of Royal Women in England,
Mid-Tenth to Mid-Twelfth Centuries PauLine Stafford. . . . . . . 143
10. Reigning Queens in Medieval Europe:
When, Where, and Why Armin Wolf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 69
11 . Female Succession and the Language of Power in the
Writings of Twelfth-Century Churchmen LoiJL. Huneycutt ... 189
Notes ........................................... 203
Bibliography ...................................... 223
About the Contributors ............................... 253
Index ........................................... 255
This page intentionally left blank
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
3.1. Danish bracteates from the middle of the 12th century (P. Hauberg, Darulce
(]{)myntninger fra TiiJJrummet 1146-1241. Det lcongelige darulce Vwerulcaberne.~ Se!Jicab.~
Slcrifter, 1906).
3.2. Fourteenth-century chalk painting on the wall of a village church of the crown
ing of a queen (DarulceDronninger, 1910).
3.3. The small runic stone at Jelling. The last words of the inscription, "Sina
Tanmarlcaar But," are carved on the side of the stone (Darulce Dronninger, 191 0).
3.4. Queen Margaret Sambi ria and her son King Erik in a law manuscript in Tallinn,
Estonia (Darulce Dronninger, 191 0).
3.5. A marble bust, presumably of Queen Margaret I (Museum fur Kunst und
Kulturgeschichte der Hansestadt Li.ibeck).
3.6. The sarcophagus of Queen Margaret I (Cathedral ofRoskilde).
4 .1. A late Roman marble sarcophagus depicting the rape of Proserpina (Cathedral
Treasury, Aachen).
4.2. The frontispiece to Jerome's Prefaces, Vivian Bible (Tours, c.844), showing St.
Jerome and his students (Paris B.N. MS.lat. I, fol. 3v).
4.3. A fragment of red silk depicting the hunt of the Amazons, Byzantine, late 8th
century/early 9th century (Museum of Meaux).
4.4. A Byzantine gold solidus of Empress Irene, 797/802 (American Numismatic
Museum, New York).
4 .5. A Carolingian ivory of the Virgin Mary, School of Reichenau (The Metropolitan
Museum of Art, New York, GiftofJ. Pierpont Morgan, 1917 [17.190.49]).
8.1. Louise of Savoy as guardian and educator of her son the future Francis I.
Lecompa.~duDauphin (Paris B.N. Fr. 2285, fol. 5r).
8.2. Blanche of Castile as regent and educator of her son Louis IX. Bible mora/Me
(The Pierpont Library, New York, MS 240, fol. 8r).
8.3. The regent Blanche of Castile directs the education of her son Louis IX.
Guillaume de Saint-Pathus, Vie et mirac0 de Saint Lou& (Paris B.N. Fr. 5716, p. 16).
8.4. Francis I and his mother Louise of Savoy before the cross. Dominw !Uuminatio
Mea (Paris B.N. Fr. 2088, fol. 3v).
8.5. Francis I and Louise of Savoy. Dominw !Uuminatio Mea (Paris B.N. Fr. 2088,
fol.4r).
8.6. Counselled by Justice and his mother, Blanche of Castile, Louis IX receives his
subjects' petitions. Le Jacre [et] couronnement. .. de Cla.uJe de France (1517) (Paris
B.N. Fr. 14,176, fol. 4lr).
8.7. Blanche (with Louise of Savoy's features) steers the ship of state. w Ge.~te.1 de
Bla.nchede Ca.~tille (Paris B.N. MS Fr. 5715, fol. 14v).
ABBREVIATIONS
b ............................................... born
bef. ........................................... before
ch .............................................. chapter
em. ............................................ centimeter
col. ............................................ column
ct. .............................................. count
d ............................................... died
dau ........................................... daughter
emp ........................................... emperor
esp ............................................ especially
ff. .............................................. and following pages
fol. ............................................ folio
hss ............................................ heiress
m .............................................. married
MS ........................................... manuscript
nos ............................................ numbers
n.p ............................................ no place of publication (or publisher) given
pl. ............................................. plate
r ................................................ reigned
rpt ............................................. reprint
s.a. ............................................. Juh anno ("see under the year")
s.n ............................................. no volume number given
s. v .............................................. Juh voce ("see under the word")
REFERERENCE ABBREVIATIONS
AASS ............................................. [Bollandists] Acta Sanctorumi"
BIHR. ............................................. Bulletin oft he ln.Jtitute ofH id to rica! !Wearch
EHR ............................................... Englidh Hiftorical Review
JMH. .............................................. Journal ofM eoievaf Hiftory
MGH ....................................... Monumenta Germaniae Historica
SS = Scriptores
SSRG = Scriptores, Rerum Germanicarum
SSRM = Scriptores, Rerum Merovingicarum
London, P.R.O ......................... Public Record Office
S.C. 11 .............................. Ancient Correspondence
C47/. ................................ Chancery Miscellany
Just 11 .............................. Justices Itinerant
CPR ...................................... Calenoar ofP atent Ro!!.J
CCLR ..................................... Calenoarof Clo.Je Roll.Ji"
CLR ...................................... Calenoar ofL iberate Rol!.J
Migne, PL. .................................... Patrologia Cur.JU.J Completw, Serie.J Latina
Paris, AN ................................. Archives nationales
Paris, BN ................................. Bibliotheque nationale
RS ............................................ Rolls series
SCH ......................................... StuJie.J in Church Hid tory
TRHS. ............................................ Tran.Jaction.J oft he Royal Hiftoricaf Society
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Family, Sex, and Power:
The Rhythms ofM edieval Queenship
m
JOHN CARMI PARSONS
hile this anthology reflects current interest in the queens of
medieval Europe as an outgrowth of feminist historical studies
since the 1960s, it also highlights the curious fact that only
recently has much notice been taken of queenship itself. It is almost deplor
ably easy to account for this state of affairs. A renewed interest in women's
history first produced accounts of prominent women-nobles, abbesses,
saints-including that handful of medieval queens who have always
excited popular interest: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Blanche of Castile,
Margaret of Anjou, Isabella of Castile. These works are, however, limited
by the tendencies to depict queens as moral pendants to husbands or sons,
and to dwell on their lives but not their offices (N. Davis 1976; Stuard
1987b: 62-63, 72). More recently, queens and queenship have fallen into
some disrepute as feminist historical scholarship has shifted its focus to
socioeconomic studies that concentrate on the less fortunate sisters of the
well-known; a current distaste for administrative and institutional history
has, moreover, impeded investigation of queenship's resources, its links to
the king's office and, most important, queens' relationships with kingdoms
and communities.
Recent publications suggest an awakening of interest in the institutions
and workings of queenship: for the early medieval period the work of
Pauline Stafford (1978a, 1978b, 1981a, 1981b, 1983); for Ottonian
Germany, Karl Leyser (1979); for France, Marion Facinger (1968),
Elizabeth A. R. Brown (1976), and Andre Poulet (1989); for England, F.
D. Blackley and G. Hermansen (1971), John Carmi Parsons (1977, 1988,
1991, forthcoming), Margaret Howell (1987), Marjorie Chibnall (1991),