Early English Queens, 850–1000
Potestas Reginae
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Published:23rd Apr '24
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£38.99(9780367760939)
This book offers a comprehensive, biography-led examination of queenship in England between 850 and 1000, tracing the development of the queen’s role from bed companion to institutional office.
The period 850–1000 is critical to the development of English queenship. In the aftermath of viking invasion, the kings of Wessex expanded their hegemony over neighbouring regions, gradually establishing themselves as the kings of England. Parallel to this broad narrative of political change is the lesser-known story, told in this book, of the royal women who took part in it. The lives of three remarkable women – Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, and the West Saxon consorts Eadgifu and Ælfthryth – are central to the story, here retold through the careful analysis and reappraisal of source documents. These biographies set the stage for detailed study of the agency and advocacy of all women who held queenly office in England between 850 and 1000, as well as their legacies and reception by later generations.
Early English Queens, 850–1000 gives important insights into the role women played in the first 150 years of the West Saxon dynasty, offering a compelling narrative that will appeal to students and scholars of early medieval England and royal studies.
"(...) this is an excellent book. It provides new methodological approaches to the study of histories with limited surviving sources and adds much to the growing research on female rule and representations of female power in medieval and early modern Europe."
Natalie Tomas, Australian Catholic University and Monash University, Parergon 42.1 (2025).
"Early English Queens is highly recommended for anyone interested in late Anglo-Saxon England and the roles of queens, and it provides very useful biographies of Æthelflæd, Eadgifu, and Ælfthryth. The book is well presented with figures, maps and tables providing useful context, and the style is easy to read for the non-specialist, making it suitable for both undergraduates and postgraduates, and a wider public."
Shane McLeod, University of the Highlandsand Islands in Journal of the Australian Early Medieval Association
"(...) this is an excellent book. It provides new methodological approaches to the study of histories with limited surviving sources and adds much to the growing research on female rule and representations of female power in medieval and early modern Europe."
Natalie Tomas, Australian Catholic University and Monash University, Parergon 42.1 (2025).
"Early English Queens is highly recommended for anyone interested in late Anglo-Saxon England and the roles of queens, and it provides very useful biographies of Æthelflæd, Eadgifu, and Ælfthryth. The book is well presented with figures, maps and tables providing useful context, and the style is easy to read for the non-specialist, making it suitable for both undergraduates and postgraduates, and a wider public."
Shane McLeod, University of the Highlandsand Islands in Journal of the Australian Early Medieval Association
ISBN: 9780367760922
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 760g
304 pages