Beer, Michelle L. Queenship at the Renaissance Courts of Britain: Catherine of Aragon and Margaret Tudor, 1503–1533 (original) (raw)
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My thesis aims to examine the institution of queenship in early modern Europe through the executions of Anne Boleyn (the second queen consort of Henry VIII), of Catherine Howard (the fifth queen consort of Henry VIII), and of Jane Grey (the queen regnant in the interim between Edward VI's death and Mary I's ascension). An exploration of the reasons behind the three queens' executions reveals a significant shift in the practice and perception of queenship. A comparison of the role before and after the executions includes why and how the three women became queens, what their positions entailed, how they fulfilled their roles, and how they "failed" severely enough to have to be put to death. The answers to these questions will convey the significance of the queens' transgressions, not only against their respective heads of state, but against the entire civil order as well. Their choices directly conflicted with the Tudor agenda of consolidating the state with the sovereign. All three women lived and reigned, for however short their tenures were, at the point in time when a new dynasty was finding its footing within its kingdom and on the international early modern stage. For this new regime to solidify its authority, the Tudor monarchs believed they needed to take the unprecedented measure of eliminating any threat-even if that threat was found within their own ranks. As Henry VIII's reign demonstrates, even queens were not safe during this era. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis would not have been possible without the deft guidance and wisdom of my advisor, Professor Gina Luria Walker. Your faith in me and my work has been invaluable, and lit the way for me throughout this undertaking. My eternal thanks for the unceasing support and perpetually open doors of the members of the Historical Studies department of The New School of Social Research. I will always be grateful to my parents, Noel and Cristina, for keeping my dream of pursuing history alive, even in moments of doubt. To my fiancé, Kevin: this is yours as much as this is mine. You were with me on every step of this journey and I will gladly go on a thousand more journeys with you. Finally, this thesis is dedicated to Anne Boleyn, the star and inspiration for this study. This is hopefully the first of many analytical compositions I hope to write about and for her. Requiescat in pace, regina meis.
History, Fiction, and The Tudors
2016
This series focuses on works specializing in gender analysis, women's studies, literary interpretation, and cultural, political, constitutional, and diplomatic history. It aims to broaden our understanding of the strategies that queens-both consorts and regnants, as well as female regents-pursued in order to wield political power within the structures of male-dominant societies. The works describe queenship in Europe as well as many other parts of the world, including East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Islamic civilization.
The figure of Queen Margaret, formerly Margaret of Anjou, her marital relationship with her new husband, King Henry VI, her relationship with her lover, the Duke of Suffolk, and the figure of Suffolk himself in 2 Henry VI, which was probably written in 1591 (Norton Shakespeare, 203) can be seen as an oblique commentary on the situation in England in the 1590s. In this paper, I will briefly focus on three ways in which the marital relationship can be regarded as relevant to the turbulent events of the 1590s: as a commentary on the monarchy in general and on Elizabeth in particular, as a commentary on the domestic situation in England, and as a commentary on England’s international situation.
2007
In a clever play on words, Louis Montrose’s important new book on Elizabeth I suggests a study with Elizabeth both as the focus and as a topic of her people’s discourse. The title also suggests the importance of Elizabeth in understanding early modern England; this book is not itself simply about Elizabeth but about how this queen was created, understood, and negotiated by her subjects, male and female. As Montrose points out, all of Elizabeth’s subjects produced and reproduced their queen in a variety of ways throughout their daily practices. And throughout her reign, the queen’s image was manipulated by her foreign enemies as well. ... This is a very rich book by an author who has spent much of his professional career studying Elizabeth and who has an encyclopedic knowledge of texts about her. It is full of very sophisticated close readings and well repays the attention it demands. The Subject of Elizabeth will be read and discussed for many years to come
A Rose Amongst Thistles: Why Margaret Tudor Failed to Secure the Regency of James V, 1513-1528
Margaret Tudor is a forgotten woman of the sixteenth century. Vastly understudied, she has been overshadowed by her other prominent family members such as Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots. Yet she is a fantastic example of a woman who, due to unfortunate circumstances, was thrust in to a position of power in an age where society was dominated by men. This paper will attempt to shed some more light on to Margaret’s tumultuous life by investigating why she ultimately failed to maintain control of the regency of her son, James V. Through examining her personality, her connections within the nobility and how Anglo-French relations impacted on Margaret’s position, it is hoped this study will expand on Margaret’s historiography as well as adding a fresh perspective to Margaret’s situation during the minority of her son.
2007
been involved in this project in one way or another are testimony to the community of scholarship which exists amongst medievalists, archivists, librarians, and caretakers of churches and monuments all over the world. Spending six years in the company of Margaret of York has had many pleasant aspects, but this was the most pleasing by far. None of the other people mentioned here will begrudge my special note of thanks to Professor Anthony Goodman. When I approached him with a vague idea to study Anglo-Burgundian relations, it was he who put me on the trail of Margaret of York. He has been casting a steady eye on the proceedings ever since, and has saved me from more pitfalls than I care to remember. His own experiences in chasing an oftenshadowy medieval woman in the shape of Margery Kempe, as well as his skills as a biographer, honed by his work on John of Gaunt, have proved invaluable to this thesis. Discussing some obscure element of English history, and particularly his ideas on cultural exchange, over a cup of coffee or lunch in Edinburgh are amongst my fondest memories of this thesis. The friendship and highly professional skills of my two supervisors, Dr. Andrew Brown and Dr. Graeme Small, also needs to be specially acknowledged. Their respective historical specialities, and, above all, their huge knowledge of the secondary literature, frequently saved me from making some enormous mistakes. Cooperating with Dr. Dagmar Eichberger on the 2005 exhibition Women of Distinction: Margaret of York and Margaret ofAustria, in Mechelen, taught me a great deal about the way in which women in the late Middle Ages passed on their knowledge. Dr. Eichberger's insights and help frequently show in what follows, and her assistance is gratefully recorded here. I also wish to thank all the other scholars who have helped by discussing their own particular speciality with me, by searching out articles that were difficult to trace, or who have cast their eyes over some of the material found in these pages. In particular, Dr. Edgar de Blieck, who completed his own PhD under the supervision iv of Dr. Graeme Small as I was working on mine, Dr.