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.
Aelfthryth
(945 - 1000)Aelfthryth was married to King Edgar the Peaceable and mother of Edward the Martyr and King Aethelred (Ethelred) II the Unready.
Aethelflaed
(872-879? - 918; Mercia, England)Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, daughter of Alfred the Great, won battles with the Danes and even invaded Wales.
Aelfgifu
(about 985 - 10002; England)The first wife of Ethelred the Unready, she was the mother of Edmund II Ironside who briefly ruled England in a transitional time.
Anne of Cleves
(September 22, 1515 (?) - July 16, 1557; England)Fourth wife of Henry VIII, she was not what he expected when he negotiated for her hand in marriage. Her willingness to agree to a divorce and separation led to her peaceful retirement in England.
Berengaria of Navarre
(1163?/1165? - 1230; Queen of England)Daughter of King Sancho VI of Navarre and Blanche of Castile, Berengaria was queen consort of Richard I of England -- Richard the Lionhearted -- Berengaria is the only Queen of England never to set foot on the soil of England. She died childless.
Catherine of Valois
(October 27, 1401 - January 3, 1437; France, England)Catherine of Valois was the daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother of kings. Her relationship with Owen Tudor was a scandal; one of their descendents was the first Tudor king.
Catherine Parr - Sixth Wife of Henry VIII
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Cecily Neville
(May 3, 1415 - May 31, 1495; England)Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, was mother to two kings of England, and wife to a would-be king. She plays a part in the politics of the War of the Roses.
Edith (Eadgyth) of England
(about 910 - 946; England)Daughter of King Edward the Elder of England, she was married off to the Emperor Otto I as his first wife.
Eleanor of Aquitaine
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