Book description
Her name is undoubtedly less familiar than that of her grandmother,
Eleanor of Aquitaine, or that of her famous conqueror son, Fernando
III, yet during her lifetime, Berenguela of Castile (1180-1246) was
one of the most powerful women in Europe. As queen-consort of Alfonso
IX of León, she acquired the troubled boundary lands between the
kingdoms of Castile and León and forged alliances with powerful nobles
on both sides. Even after her marriage was dissolved, she continued to
strengthen these connections as a member of her father's court. On her
brother's death, she inherited the Castilian throne outright-and then,
remarkably, elevated her son to kingship at the same time. Using her
assiduously cultivated alliances, Berenguela ruled alongside Fernando
and set into motion the strategy that in 1230 would result in his
acquisition of the crown of León-and the permanent union of Castile
and León.
In The Queen's Hand, Janna Bianchini explores
Berenguela's extraordinary lifelong partnership with her son and
examines the means through which she was able to build and exercise
power. Bianchini contends that recognition of Berenguela as a powerful
reigning queen by nobles, bishops, ambassadors, and popes shows the
key participation of royal women in the western Iberian monarchy.
Demonstrating how royal women could wield enormous authority both
within and outside their kingdoms, Bianchini reclaims Berenguela's
place as one of the most important figures of the Iberian Middle Ages.
"This is a substantial contribution to the historiography of
medieval Iberian queens in its reevaluation of monarchy as the dynamic
relationship between queen and king."-Theresa Earenfight, Seattle University
Janna Bianchini teaches history at the University of Maryland.
