2024 Three Minute Thesis
Presentation Type
Open Access Poster Presentation
Abstract
This presentation examines the hardships of female rulership by looking at Empress Matilda and Queen Elizabeth I. Empress Matilda was the figurehead and leader on one side of the twelfth-century civil war fought over the right to rule England. Queen Elizabeth I ruled in the sixteenth century and became head of England. By looking at primary source documents it can be shown how the contemporary opinions of the English aristocracy about female rulership changed and stayed the same from the twelfth to sixteenth century. This change in opinion is viewed through three different lenses, opinions about their capacity to rule, the effectiveness of their military leadership, and their personal relationships with men. The conversations and debates surrounding Matilda and Elizabeth’s leadership sheds light on the origins of key arguments against female power.
Start Date
7-11-2024 11:00 AM
End Date
7-11-2024 1:00 PM
Event Host
Division of Graduate Studies, University of Northern Iowa
Faculty Advisor
Kenneth Atkinson
Department
Department of History
Copyright
©2024 Amber Hoodjer
Recommended Citation
Hoodjer, Amber, "The Monstrous Regiment of Women Across Time: Female Kingship in Early Modern England from Empress Matilda to Queen Elizabeth I" (2024). Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) at UNI. 5.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/tmt/2024/all/5
The Monstrous Regiment of Women Across Time: Female Kingship in Early Modern England from Empress Matilda to Queen Elizabeth I
This presentation examines the hardships of female rulership by looking at Empress Matilda and Queen Elizabeth I. Empress Matilda was the figurehead and leader on one side of the twelfth-century civil war fought over the right to rule England. Queen Elizabeth I ruled in the sixteenth century and became head of England. By looking at primary source documents it can be shown how the contemporary opinions of the English aristocracy about female rulership changed and stayed the same from the twelfth to sixteenth century. This change in opinion is viewed through three different lenses, opinions about their capacity to rule, the effectiveness of their military leadership, and their personal relationships with men. The conversations and debates surrounding Matilda and Elizabeth’s leadership sheds light on the origins of key arguments against female power.
