Queen Isabella Of Spain

The marriage of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella joined their family’s two kingdoms. Queen Isabella was the daughter of King John II of Castile. King Ferdinand was the son of King John I of Aragon (When). King Ferdinand was born on March 10, 1452 in Aragon, Spain (Ferdinand II). Isabella was born in Madrigal de las

By any metric, the middle ages in Europe was not an egalitarian society. Gender roles were heavily ingrained in the culture, with men meant to have aggressive masculine traits, and women to have fragile feminine traits.The practice of minting coins was perfected by Roman Emperors such as Augustus, Vespasian, and Diocletian, and as many Roman customs did, it became adopted by medieval kings, particularly Anglo-Saxons ones. The minting of coins not only served as a way to facilitate the exchange of goods and services, but they also were political tools utilised by leaders. Cynethryth, Queen of Mercia and Wife of Offa the Great, was the only Anglo-Saxon Queen we know of who issued her own coinage1. This not only has implications for the political eptitude of Cynethryth, but also has significance to understanding of medieval gender roles and how women in power operated and exercised authority.

In 1508, Queen Elizabeth I had taken the throne to rule England. Many people in that time didn’t believe that a woman couldn’t rule a country. Queen

“ The belief that women were inherently inferior in intelligence, strength, and character was so persuasive that for men like Knox, a woman ruler was almost a contradiction in terms” (“Documents for Chapters 5&6”). In the 16th century, women were looked upon as a gender that should stay in the house and work, not have power and rule over a country. Discussing the govern of Queens during the 16th century, such as Mary Tudor, Lady Jane Grey, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Elizabeth I, allowed prejudices to be lessened but never completely be erased. No matter how these four notable ladies came into power, the accomplishments they overcame, achieved and wrote about proved to be great and substantial in making history as it is written today.

Comparing the culture of France and England during the sixteenth century reveals a commonality that the women were not considered worthy, whether as the heir to the throne or as those that might want to think theologically. (Davis, 77 and Lindberg, pg.

So Henry took her and her younger brother Alfonso to court to keep them from working with the enemies. Some people had wished her brother henry was not the king. They wanted her youngest brother Alfonso to be their king, but he had died on July 5,1468. By the age of 17 the nobles had approached her and declared that she becomes the queen, but she refused. Her brother Henry had made an arrange marriage for her.

The private sphere included wives, mothers, family, and immediate household. The information above helps us understand why women had little access to public power but it also shows us why it was necessary for women to sometimes use other means to control their surroundings to their desired end. A point to think on is, we should not underestimate the fact that a woman's self-interest may have been the driving force in her pursuit of influence (power). We also cannot assume that women were always helpless victims of society unable to affect forces that may have seemed beyond their control. In defining the private sphere, the scope of a woman's self-interest included wives and mothers working to advance the interests of their spouses and children. Simply by her management of the household she allowed her spouse to leave home and give his service for the crown which in turn could supply him with prestige and power through his military endeavors. A medieval woman could be forced to use many methods, not always acceptable ones, to reach a desired outcome. The contribution of money and support through dowry, wage labor, household works, production, patronage and hospitality, were many of the acceptable ways. The use of affection within her household gave her influence because it could directly result in loyalty to her. Wifely persuasion could be used as in the instance of convincing a spouse to donate funds to

It was said of Eleanor of Aquitaine “She was beautiful and just, imposing and modest, humble and elegant, who surpassed almost all the queens of the world.” However, Queen Eleanor was known to be the Grandmother of Europe, she had many children who became kings and queens. In the 12th century women were supposed to be quiet and unnoticeable, but Queen Eleanor never let that stop her from ruling France, England, Aquitaine, and the Count of Politiers, and of course ruling over the most powerful men of the time.

Cora Orme Kapelle Medieval Literature 23 February 2015 Marie de France’s “Lanval”: A New Model for Gender Roles in the Medieval Romance Genre Historically, Medieval women had little agency or control over their lives. Parents arranged marriages for political alliances and while the romantic compatibility of the engaged couple was almost never considered, Medieval society often prioritized men’s sexual preferences. Marie de France comments on women’s lack of agency and the unfulfilling nature of these marital alliances in her unconventional lai, “Lanval.” Her curious inversion of power dynamics skews the traditional gender roles and reveals flaws within the Medieval ideal of courtly romance.

Throughout history women have often played a significant role, and how although women haven’t usually been in a position of power, they have, none-the-less, often contributed in significant ways. Like these 2 women, Empress Theodora and Queen Elizabeth the I, the both gave back to their societies .

Within the patriarchal society of early western cultures, women were often forced to submit to their male counterparts in all matters. Despite this, women were not completely powerless in society and often had many clever and subversive means of fulfilling their wishes. Though not as prominent or outwardly recognizable as a man’s display of power, women in early western culture were certainly able to persuade men to do their bidding. By looking at three period texts, examples of this manipulation can be seen. Within “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale,” Lanval, and Beowulf there is evidence of women’s roles in society as well as their methods of harnessing power.

In the late 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I of England endeavored to establish a permanent settlement in the New World. Elizabeth granted English aristocrat Sir Walter Ralegh the rights to introduce a settlement to spread the influence of the Queen and the Christian faith. In 1585, the first English settlers populated the new colony of Roanoke. By establishing Roanoke, the English hoped to launch trade with the Native Americans and mount piracy attacks on the ships of the enemy Spanish fleet. Queen Elizabeth sponsored “privateering” by motivating English sailors to raid and pillage Spanish ships, and having an English colony near the Spanish colonies would increase the effectiveness of privateering. Elizabeth hoped that once the English controlled the entire Eastern Seaboard of the new continent, the Spanish would hardly be a threat. However, the English were hasty in establishing their first settlement and this ultimately lead to the downfall of the colony. Roanoke failed to last for more than a few years and by 1590, the entire colony had disappeared. If the English focused on establishing a safe and durable settlement instead of developing a base for trade, privateering, and further expansion, the first colony of Roanoke could have been successful.

Women withstood a multitude of limitations in the medieval era. Due to the political, social, and religious restrictions women encountered, historians neglected to realize that they demonstrated agency. The female experience is something that has been overlooked until recently. Unfortunately, without the knowledge of how women found ways to exert their power, we are experiencing a deficit of knowledge in this period. Through the close examination of the primary sources: The Gospel of Mary, Dhouda’s Liber Manualis, and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the creative means of female force are displayed.

History remembers King Henry VIII and his many wives. Very few remember his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. She was known as being quite beautiful and a great queen. Despite how poorly treated she was Catherine remained strong. The beloved Catherine of Aragon was the most remarkable queen due to the way she led her kingdom.

Sixteenth century England experienced a phenomenon sometimes referred to as the Age of Queens. The decisive power of the country was placed in women’s hands and their reigns were watched with a reasonable doubt. There is contrast of rule in terms of reigns between Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth of England, both of whom were engaged in a protracted struggle for the English throne. Beside the legitimacy of their claims, there are more significant considerations which predestined them to either increase or lose their power. The rule and attitudes of the two monarchs bore significant influence upon the times in which they lived, including social, political and legal precedents which were being challenged and in some cases reversed. The fact that both Queens encountered situations of striking similarity, serves as a suitable example for a remarkable comparison, helping to analyze the lives of the two Queens and how their lives diverged as a result of such encounters and their actions thereafter. They were both Queens, struggling for the throne, they were women as well as rivals; they both had affairs with married men, however, one managed a narrow escape from the disgraceful situation, while the other failed to do so. Mary grew to hate Anne Boleyn, mother of Elizabeth, because he took the position of her mother Catharine as Queen of England. Before Elizabeth came to the scene, Mary was loved and was the only child of King Henry VIII of