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In the Middle Ages, men ruled -- except when women did. Here are a few of the medieval women who ruled -- in their own right in a few cases, as regents for male relatives in other cases, and sometimes by wielding power and influence through their husbands, sons, brothers, and grandsons. (Listed alphabetically below.)Blanche of Castile
(1188-1252; France)Blanche of Castile was ruler of France twice as regent for her son, Saint Louis.
Brunhilde
(about 545 - 613; Austrasia - France, Germany)A Visigoth princess, she married a Frankish king, then revenged her murdered sister by starting a 40-year war with a rival kingdom. She fought for her son, grandsons and great-grandson, but was finally defeated and the kingdom lost to the rival family.
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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(1512? - September 5 or 7, 1548; England)
Sixth wife of Henry VIII, Catherine Parr was initially reluctant to marry Henry, and by all accounts was a patient, loving, and pious wife to him in his last years of illness, disillusion, and pain. She was an advocate of Protestant reforms.
Sixth wife of Henry VIII, Catherine Parr was initially reluctant to marry Henry, and by all accounts was a patient, loving, and pious wife to him in his last years of illness, disillusion, and pain. She was an advocate of Protestant reforms.
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
Touriste at wikipedia.org, released into the public domain
(1122 - 1204; France, England) Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of France and England through her two marriages and ruler of her own territories by right of birth, was one of the most powerful women of the world in the twelfth century.
Elizabeth I of England
© 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.
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
Public domain image
(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 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.
