The last medieval queens of England were Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne Neville, and Elizabeth of York - four very different women whose lives and queenship were dominated by the Wars of the Roses. This book is not a traditional biography but a thematic study of the ideology and practice of queenship. It examines the motivations behind the choice of the first English-born queens, the multi-faceted rituals of coronation, childbirth, and funeral, the divided loyalties between family and king, and the significance of a position at the heart of the English power structure that could only be filled by a woman. It sheds new light on the queens' struggles to defend their children's rights to the throne, and argues that ideologically and politically a queen was integral to the proper exercise of mature kingship in this period.
Reviews
By the sensitive use of sources often neglected by more traditional historians, Laynesmith succeeds in deepening our understanding of the role and powers of queens in the context of late medieval English monarchy. * Diana Dunn, The Ricardian XVI *
Weaving together institutions and personality, family and realm, intimacy and ceremony, The Last Medieval Queens, is a wise book by a young and lively scholar. It is well written and beautifully produced, and is worthy of a wide readership both academic and popular. * History Today *
... impressive ... an erudite and well written study. * Contemporary Review *


Awards
Winner of Joint Winner: Women's History Network Book Prize 2004 Joint Winner: Longman - History Today Book of the Year.



Book Information
ISBN 9780199247370
Author Dr J. L. Laynesmith
Format Hardback
Page Count 312
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 1g
Dimensions(mm) 242mm * 163mm * 22mm