Now more than ever in the last months of 2022, we are discussing the role of queens. What is a queen regnant? (It is a queen who inherits the throne and rules in her own name.) What is a queen consort? (It is a queen who is the wife of a king regnant and shares the social standing of her husband.) And how do queens vary from kings? (I don’t have a pithy, one-sentence summary, my apologies.) Queens by Phyllis G. Jestice’s new book explores countless historic queens, and just how much that term encompasses.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Queens: Women in Power Through History, Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice (15 November 2022)
Queens ranges from the ancient world to the present day, telling the stories of women who ruled, from murderous former courtesan Wu Zetian in seventh-century China to Elizabeth I, England’s “Virgin Queen”.
In a world historically dominated by male rulers, the women who sat on thrones of their own shine brightly. Some queens and empresses were born to greatness, while others fought their way to power. In sixth-century Constantinople, Empress Theodora, who had been a street performer before catching the eye of Emperor Justinian, extended rights for women, passing laws that allowed them to divorce and own property, and made rape a crime punishable by death. In twelfth-century Europe, Eleanor of Aquitaine first married the king of France and then the king of England. At the Mughal court in Lahore in the early seventeenth century, Nur Jahan, wife of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, was the political powerhouse behind the throne. In more recent history, the book explores the reigns of Catherine the Great, revealing how a minor German aristocrat came to rule and expand the Russian Empire; Queen Victoria, whose family dominated the world in the early twentieth century; and her more recent descendent, Elizabeth II, the longest-ruling queen in history. Carefully researched, superbly entertaining, and illustrated throughout, Queens highlights the true personalities and real lives of the women who became monarchs and empresses.
Why You Should Read This…
When I came across this book, I thought that it was a tad ambitious in its aims. However, I am incredibly happy to have been proven wrong. Jestice deftly takes us through the role of queen and many of those who have held it from the ancient world through to the present. She does not limit her scope geographically and covers queens from Europe, Asia, and Africa. I especially appreciated that she not only looked at queens regnant, but queens consort, regents, and other queen-like roles that often occupy a similar space politically/ at court.
Jestice does a wonderful job of looking at the infinite number of nuances without getting lost in the detail. It is informative and fascinating, but does not tarry on any one period or place. And she does not give excessive space to the “usual suspects”; she introduces countless lesser-known historical figures to bring them into the spotlight. With the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II, and the new Queen Consort, Camilla, a popular topic of discussion, this is a must-read book.
Is Queens by Phyllis G. Jestice on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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