Empress Adelheid and Countess Matilda : Medieval Female Rulership and the Foundations of European Society / by Penelope Nash.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Nash, Penelope., Author.

Series:

Queenship and Power, 2730-9398

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Europe--History--476-1492.

Europe.

Social history.

Europe--History.

Sex.

History of Medieval Europe.

Social History.

European History.

Gender Studies.

Local Subjects:

History of Medieval Europe.

Social History.

European History.

Gender Studies.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (XXXI, 292 p. 8 illus., 1 illus. in color.)

Edition:

1st ed. 2017.

Place of Publication:

New York : Palgrave Macmillan US : Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017.

Summary:

This book compares two successful, elite women, Empress Adelheid (931-999) and Countess Matilda (1046-1115), for their relative ability to retain their wealth and power in the midst of the profound social changes of the eleventh century. The careers of the Ottonian queen and empress Adelheid and Countess Matilda of Tuscany reveal a growth of opportunities for women to access wealth and power. These two women are analyzed under three categories: their relationships with family and friends, how they managed their property (particularly land), and how they ruled. This analysis encourages a better understanding of gender relations in both the past and the present. .

Contents:

1. Introduction: Masterful and Formidable Ladies

2. Kin and Kith: Keeping Friends and Placating Enemies

3. Land: Building and Maintaining a Property Portfolio

4. Rule: Models of Rulership and the Tools of Justice .

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781137585141

1137585145