Janna Bianchini. The Queen's Hand

Janna Bianchini uses the life and career of Queen Berenguela of Castile (1180–1246) to study the intricate ways in which power, authority, and gender functioned in medieval Iberia. Bianchini argues that Berenguela's authority was based on her lordship over crucial properties along the border between León and Castile, her use of those properties to establish patronage relationships with nobles and prelates, and her hereditary rights to the throne of Castile. Berenguela used these assets to establish both herself and her son on the throne of Castile and later to facilitate the union of Castile and León. Using royal diplomas, the Castilian and Leonese charters, and the royal chronicles, Bianchini positions Berenguela in the context of a plural monarchy where power was shared between various members of the royal family, including royal women. Her study helps us understand how a patriarchy functioned in practice and both expands and complicates the discourse about the power of medieval women.

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Context (archaeology) · Literature · Middle Ages · Monarchy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics) · Queen (butterfly) · Reign · Scots · Throne · History · Law · Medieval History and Crusades · Medieval Literature and History · Multiculturalism, Politics, Migration, Gender