During the Middle Ages, men ruled -- except when women did. Here are a few of the women who were queens or royal consorts, or otherwise ruled in the British isles, sometimes through their husbands, sons, brothers, and grandsons.
Elizabeth I of England
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(September 9, 1533 - March 24, 1603; England)
Known as Queen Bess or the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I ruled at a key time in England's history, and is one of the most-remembered British rulers, male or female.
Known as Queen Bess or the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I ruled at a key time in England's history, and is one of the most-remembered British rulers, male or female.
Elizabeth of York
(February 11, 1466 - February 11, 1503; England)Elizabeth of York was the only woman to have been a daughter, sister, niece, wife, and mother to English kings. Her marriage to Henry VII signaled the end of the wars of the roses and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty.
Elizabeth Woodville
(about 1437 - June 7 or 8, 1492; England)Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England, wielded considerable influence and power. But some of the stories told about her may be pure propaganda.
Isabella of France
(1292 - August 23, 1358; France, England)Wife of Edward II of England, she helped arrange his removal and murder, then ruled with her lover as regent for her son before being banished to a nunnery.
Lady Jane Grey
(October 1537 - February 12, 1554; England)The reluctant eight-day queen of England, Lady Jane Grey was supported by the Protestant party to follow Edward VI and to try to prevent the Roman Catholic Mary from taking the throne.
Margaret of Anjou
(March 23, 1429 - August 25, 1482; England)Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England, took an active part in her husband's administration and led the Lancastrians in the early years of the War of the Roses.
Saint Margaret of Scotland
(about 1045 - 1093)Queen Consort of Scotland, married to Malcolm III, she was patroness of Scotland and worked to reform the Church of Scotland.
Margaret Tudor
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(November 29, 1489 - October 18, 1541; England, Scotland)
Margaret Tudor was sister of England's Henry VIII, queen consort of James IV of Scotland, grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and also grandmother of Mary's husband, Lord Darnley.
Margaret Tudor was sister of England's Henry VIII, queen consort of James IV of Scotland, grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and also grandmother of Mary's husband, Lord Darnley.
Mary I
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(February 18, 1516 - November 17, 1558; England)
Daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, Mary's reign in England attempted to restore Roman Catholicism. The execution of Protestants as heretics earned her the sobriquet "Bloody Mary."
Daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, Mary's reign in England attempted to restore Roman Catholicism. The execution of Protestants as heretics earned her the sobriquet "Bloody Mary."
Mary Queen of Scots
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(December 8, 1542 - February 8, 1587; France, Scotland)
A potential claimant to the British throne and briefly Queen of France, Mary became Queen of Scotland when her father died and she was only a week old. Her reign was brief and controversial.
A potential claimant to the British throne and briefly Queen of France, Mary became Queen of Scotland when her father died and she was only a week old. Her reign was brief and controversial.
Mary of Guise (Mary of Lorraine)
(November 22, 1515 - June 11, 1560; France, Scotland)Mary of Guise was part of the powerful Guise family of France. As wife of James V of Scotland, and mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, she worked to suppress Protestantism in Scotland and triggered a civil war.
