Queens: Women in Power Through History
I
have always been interested in biographies, especially of women who were
unusual for their time. Unfortunately, women in power have been unusual
throughout time, and there is not much information available about most of
those who became rulers. So this book seemed like a treasure trove for me.
Although
this book does not give much information about the lives of these women, it includes
many examples, from Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. And there is an
interesting focus on how and why these women became queens, and what their rule
was like.
The
“Queens” referred to in the book were not necessarily queens, but were in some
way a ruler for a period of time. For example, some women who were married to
rulers were able to wield power because their husbands consulted them or were
unable to rule themselves. Some women were regents for their underage sons and
some managed to overthrow a son or brother. But many (most) were not rulers in
their own right, legally. In the Introduction, Jestice explains some of these
situations and clarifies what she means by “queens.”
I
love the phrase that Jestice uses to describe these ruling women: “This odd
dynamic of powerful powerlessness.”
The
book has 6 Chapters, each for a separate time span:
- Powerful Women of the Ancient World
- Power and Influence in the Early Middle Ages
- Female Sovereignty in the High Middle Ages
- Ruling Women in the Age of Exploration
- Queenly Powers in the Early Modern Era
- Modern Challenges for Monarchies
Instead
of organizing the information within those times for each woman, the author has
sub-sections according to the way each woman was able to rule. For example,
Partners in Rule; Mother Power: The Case of Regency; Power-Sharing Women;
Sharing in Rule; Consort: Someone Who Shares the Work of Government; Women
Empowered by Absent Men; etc.
However,
this results in information about each woman given in small bits in different
parts of the section if they were able to rule for more than one reason (eg,
Livia), which felt disorganized to me. In some cases the information was
repeated with only a picture page between the two mentions (for example,
information about Theophanu). I would have preferred all the information about
each ruler in one place.
The
highlight of the book is the glorious illustrations (180 of them), which
include reproductions of paintings and tapestries as well as photos of
sculptures and artifacts. After the Index, there is a list of picture credits,
but no references. I would have appreciated this since the book has made me
want to read further information about many of the women highlighted.
I received this as an e-book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
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