The Monstrous Regiment of Women

Sharon L. Jansen reads the past in new ways by constructing a counter-narrative, focusing on the stories of women.

In The Monstrous Regiment of Women , Sharon Jansen explores the case for and against female rule by examining the arguments made by theorists from Sir John Fortescue (1461) through Bishop Bossuet (1680) interweaving their arguments with references to the most well-known early modern queens. The 'story' of early modern European political history looks very different if, instead of focusing on kings and their sons, we see successive generations of powerful women and the shifting political alliances of the period from a very different, and revealing, perspective.

Introduction Isabella of Castille Lady Margaret Beaufort Caterina Sforza Anne of France Mary Tudor Elizabeth Tudor Mary Stuart Conclusion