1. Education
About.com
Women's History

Discuss in my forum

Medieval British Queens

Women of Power in the Middle Ages

By , About.com Guide

Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I© Clipart.com, modifications © Jone Johnson Lewis
(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.

Elizabeth of York

Effigy of Eleanor of Aquitaine, tomb at FontevraudTouriste at wikipedia.org, released into the public domain
(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 Angouleme

Women's Clothing in the Time of John, Hadwisa of Gloucester, and Isabella of Angouleme© 2000-2005 Jone Johnson Lewis

Wife first of King John of England, a son of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II, Isabella of Angouleme after his death returned to her homeland, where she was a countess in her own right.  There, she married, and ended her life in hiding after being accused in a conspiracy.

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

Margaret of AnjouArchive Photos / Getty Images
(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

Margaret Tudor - after a painting by Holbein© Clipart.com, modifications © Jone Johnson Lewis
(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.

Mary I

Mary I - Tudor Queen - after a Holbein painting© Clipart.com
(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."

©2013 About.com. All rights reserved.