From the 14th-century king consorts of Navarre to the modern European prince consorts of the 20th century, the male consort has been a peculiar yet recurrent historical figure. In this impressively broad collection, leading historians of monarchy analyze how male partners of female rulers have negotiated their unique roles throughout history.

From the 14th-century king consorts of Navarre to the modern European prince consorts of the 20th century, the male consort has been a peculiar yet recurrent historical figure. In this impressively broad collection, leading historians of monarchy analyze how male partners of female rulers have negotiated their unique roles throughout history.

Itinerarium ad Windsor concerns a central question of the Elizabethan era: Why should a woman be allowed to rule with the same powers as a king? The man who poses this controversial question within Itinerarium is none other than Queen Elizabeth's powerful favorite Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. On hand to provide answers are the statesman and poet Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst, and William Fleetwood antiquary, Recorder of London, and dutiful chronicler of their 1575 conversation. This critical edition of Itinerarium reproduces Fleetwood's text with annotations and a host of interpretive and contextualizing essays from leading scholars. Taken together, they constitute the definitive introduction to this remarkable discussion of regnant queenship, providing a valuable tool for understanding contemporary notions of and underlying fears concerning the efficacy and desirability of female rule in Elizabethan England.

Why should a woman be allowed to rule with the same powers as a king? Readers may be surprised to discover that the man who asks this controversial question is none other than Queen Elizabeth's favorite Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. On hand to provide answers are statesman and poet Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst; and William Fleetwood, Recorder of London, who reports their 1575 conversation in "Itinerarium ad Windsor." The Name of a Queen presents an annotated edition of "Itinerarium," plus essays by a team of leading scholars who interpret and contextualize Fleetwood's dialogue. This critical edition and the accompanying contextual essays will make available to scholars and students alike this remarkable discussion of the form and nature of English regnant queenship, which provides a valuable tool for gaining a greater understanding of contemporary notions of and underlying fears concerning the efficacy and desirability of female rule in Elizabethan England.

This edited volume brings together a collection of provocative essays examining a number of different facets of Elizabethan foreign affairs, encompassing England and The British Isles, Europe, and the dynamic civilization of Islam. As an entirely domestic queen who never physically left her realm, Elizabeth I cast an inordinately wide shadow in the world around her. The essays is this volume collectively reveal a queen and her kingdom much more connected and integrated into a much wider world than usually discussed in conventional studies of Elizabethan foreign affairs.

""The Lioness Roared" is a novel and important study of the meaning of 'kingship, ' adding as much to our appreciation of the social and political constructs of gender as to our understanding of the problems specific to female rule. Other scholars have investigated individual instances of women on the throne, but none as comprehensively as Charles Beem's treatment of the rule of British queens from Matilda to Victoria."--Howard Nenner, Smith College "Charles Beem examines the queens of England and demonstrates that Elizabeth I was not the only strong and fascinating woman to rule as consort or regnant. With many examples from the medieval period onward, this thoroughly researched and beautifully written study should find a wide and enthusiastic readership."--Carole Levin, Willa Cather Professor of History, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Charles Beem uses Gender Studies and political and constitutional History to examine the problems faced by female rulers throughout British history, from the twelfth century Empress Matilda's imaginative efforts to become England's first regnant queen, to Queen Victoria's remarkable exercise of political power during the Bedchamber Crisis of 1839.

This edited volume brings together a collection of provocative essays examining a number of different facets of Elizabethan foreign affairs, encompassing England and The British Isles, Europe, and the dynamic civilization of Islam. As an entirely domestic queen who never physically left her realm, Elizabeth I cast an inordinately wide shadow in the world around her. The essays is this volume collectively reveal a queen and her kingdom much more connected and integrated into a much wider world than usually discussed in conventional studies of Elizabethan foreign affairs.