Introduction / Elena Woodacre -- PART I. MATERNAL AMBITION FOR THEIR OFFSPRING. To be the Queen's Daughter : controversy, adultery and the legitimacy problem in the reign of Enrique IV of Castile (1454-1474) / Diana Pelaz Flores -- Stepmother and mother of princes : legitimation and political actuation in the reign of Juana Enríquez / Germán Gamero Igea -- Matriarchs of the Royal House of Stuart : negotiating personal and dynastic ambition, motherhood and adversity 1613-1662 / Sarah Betts -- PART II. REGENCY AND MATERNAL AUTHORITY. To have and to hold : coins and seals as evidence for motherly authority / Jitske Japerse -- Nomadic mothers as rulers in China : female regents of the Khitan Liao (907-1125) / Hang Lin -- Empress Adelheid's vulnerabilities as mother and ruler / Penelope Nash -- Optima mater : power, influence, and the maternal bonds between Agrippina the Younger (A.D. 15-59) and Nero, Emperor of Rome (A.D. 54-68) / Carey Fleiner -- PART III. MATERNAL INFLUENCE. Louise of Savoy : the mixed legacy of a powerful mother / Kathleen Wellman -- Queen mother knows best : María de Molina and the vestiges of medieval politics in modern historiography / Janice North -- Catherine of Medici : Henri III's inspiration to be a father to his people / Estelle Paranque.
Summary:
"This collection brings together a series of fascinating case studies of royal mothers ranging across time from Antiquity through to the seventeenth century, from the (in)famous -- Agrippina the Younger and Catherine de Medici -- to the lesser known -- Judith of Thuringia. This collection focuses on queens and elite women who were at the political heart of their respective realms and examines the often tense political dynamic between these royal mothers and their offspring. This volume describes a wide range of case studies to illustrate the volatile and sometimes controversial combination of motherhood, ambition, and political authority. These essays take a fresh look at the timeless issues of the 'woman behind the throne' and reveal how royal mothers could provide key support for their children both to gain and retain a throne through illuminating studies of both well-known royal mothers, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Catherine de Medici, and less familiar figures including Juana Enríquez and the regents of the Khitan Liao in China"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.