The most powerful women were those who were born into royalty – but that didn’t mean their lives were easy
WORDS: ELINOR EVANS
In the Middle Ages, power was undoubtedly a male-dominated game. But while the independence and influence of many women during the medieval period was overwhelmingly curtailed by the patriarchal society, some women found ways to wield power that have echoed down through the centuries.
For the ultimate medieval powerhouse, look no further than 12th-century queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, arguably more famous than either of her royal husbands. She governed as regent on behalf of two kings, secured a divorce from another, and was matriarch of a royal dynasty that saw five of her nine surviving children crowned kings or queens. She even went on crusade to encourage French barons and lords to take the cross themselves.
As testament to her immense political and diplomatic skill, during efforts to raise a ransom for her son, King Richard, in 1193–94, she levied a network of influential women that stretched from Brittany to Bavaria.
ECONOMIC FREEDOMS
Though Queen Eleanor’s power might seem extraordinary for the era, her achievements amplify one of the common ways that other women, as widows, were able to gain control of property in the period. They would also routinely preside over their children’s affairs, lending them means and power. Particularly in the wake of the 14th-century Black Death pandemic, there was a period of relative economic freedom for some women in London, as they were encouraged to run their husbands’ workshops or trading enterprises, to maintain the flows of currency and taxation.
While the statuses of many medieval women were dependent on marriage, it wasn’t the only way to power; some women were named heirs in their own right. Also in the Holy Land at the same time as Queen Eleanor was Melisende, the ruling queen of Jerusalem. Born in the early 12th century, eldest daughter of Baldwin II of Jerusalem, Melisende was designated her father’s heir and raised as a capable successor. However, strategic necessity dictated that during her later marriage to Fulk, Count of Anjou, she share power with her husband. The pair ruled together, issued joint charters, and embarked on a substantial building programme across Jerusalem, and according to chronicler William of Tyre, Fulk “did not attempt to take the initiative, even in trivial matters,” without the
