She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth, by Helen Castor: A Book Review

By James Barasch on July 21, 2014

Even in male-dominated societies with cultural and religious mores heavily set against female leadership, there have been remarkable women who not only achieved power and prestige, but influenced the course of their country and the world. She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth, by English historian Helen Castor, is a beautifully written account of the lives and incredible careers of four medieval English Queens: Matilda (1102-1167), Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204), Isabella of France (1295-1358), and Margaret of Anjou (1430-1482), whose determined and revolutionary utilizations of power and authority both earned the respect and scorn of their male contemporaries, and paved the way for the accession of Elizabeth I Tudor as Queen in her own right in 1558. All four medieval women were dynamic personalities whose actions often determined the fate of kingdoms, but not one was able to secure unequivocally the position of monarch, and Castor eloquently recounts their formidable struggles against male-dominated traditions that often relegated women, even royalty, to the traditional roles of wife and mother, to serve as representatives of their Royal husbands and serve as vehicles for the continuation of the royal bloodlines. It is a testament to the indomitable spirit of these four women that they achieved what they did.

In the western medieval world, feudal titles and estates often passed from father to firstborn son, with royal princesses of the blood often being diplomatic bargaining chips used to bind together noble houses and secure alliances through marriage. However, following the death of Henry I of England, who had no direct male heir, Matilda, his eldest daughter and formerly Empress of the Holy Roman Empire through marriage, put forward a strong claim for her father’s powerful cross-channel empire. The throne, however, fell initially to Henry’s male next of kin, Stephen of Blois, but for the next 15 years, Matilda, a skilled and patient politician, as well as a wily military tactician, rallied disaffected barons to her banner and strenuously pressed her theoretically stronger claim through continous warfare until a war-weary Stephen acquiesced to name Matilda’s son, the future King Henry II, as his heir. Henry II, a powerful and legendary medieval monarch, married an equally legendary medieval woman in Eleanor, Duchess of the massive Duchy of Aquitaine. Possessing a strong power-base of her own, the highly-educated and sophisticated Eleanor played an active role in English politics for over 50 years, first as representative for her royal husband, then as an active assistant to the revolts of her four sons against their father, and finally as close political advisor and diplomatic representative to her ‘favorite son,’ Richard I Lionheart.

Isabella of France and Margaret of Anjou were both late-medieval French princesses who nevertheless transferred their full allegiance to England, their adopted country through marriage. Both Queens were unfortunately married to vacillating and weak husbands and struggled to shoulder many of the traditionally male burdens of ruling, as well as secure the futures of their beloved (male) children. For example, Isabella’s dynastic claim on the French throne thus passed to her son Edward III, along with his English title, and helped spark the Hundred Years War. Their efforts were so successful as to evince guarded admiration even from otherwise generally misogynistic medieval chroniclers.

It is heartening to see the incredible and exciting careers of these remarkable medieval women detailed in such eloquent and scholarly fashion. Helen Castor is a true master of historical narrative, deftly employing the medieval sources to bring these proud, intelligent, ambitious high-born women and their unpredictable, unstable times back to vibrant life.

Rating: *****+

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format