Virtuous or Villainess? The Image of the Royal Mother from the Early Medieval to the Early Modern Era

Front Matter....Pages i-xiii
Introduction....Pages 1-8
Front Matter....Pages 9-9
Empress Theodora: A Holy Mother....Pages 11-36
“Mother of Heroes, Most Beautiful of Mothers”: Mathilda of Flanders and Royal Motherhood in the Eleventh Century....Pages 37-63
A Mother and Her Illustrious Offspring: The Role of Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal, in Her Children’s Education (1387–1415)....Pages 65-84
“Greatest in Her Offspring”: Motherhood and the Empress Matilda....Pages 85-99
Maternal Abandonment and Surrogate Caregivers: Isabella of Angoulême and Her Children by King John....Pages 101-124
The Perils of Promotion: Maternal Ambition and Sacrifice in the Life of Joan of Navarre, Duchess of Brittany, and Queen of England....Pages 125-148
Front Matter....Pages 149-149
“Margaret R”: Lady Margaret Beaufort’s Self-fashioning and Female Ambition....Pages 151-172
Playing the Catalan: The Rise of the Chess Queen; Queenship and Political Motherhood in Late Medieval Aragon and France....Pages 173-197
Outlander, Baby Killer, Poisoner? Rethinking Bona Sforza’s Black Legend....Pages 199-223
The Empress Matilda and Motherhood in Popular Fiction, 1970s to the Present....Pages 225-245
Back Matter....Pages 247-256