Virtuous or Villainess? The Image of the Royal Mother from the Early Medieval to the Early Modern Era

1. Introduction
Carey Fleiner

Part I. Fashioning the Image of the “Good” and “Bad” Royal Mother

2. Empress Theodora: A Holy Mother
Kriszta Kotsis

3. “Mother of Heroes, Most Beautiful of Mothers”: Mathilda of Flanders and Royal Motherhood in the Eleventh Century
Laura L. Gathagan

4. A Mother and Her Illustrious Offspring: The Role of Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal, in Her Children’s Education (1387–1415)
Manuela Santos Silva

5. “Greatest in Her Offspring”: Motherhood and the Empress Matilda
Charles Beem

6. Maternal Abandonment and Surrogate Caregivers: Isabella of Angoulême and Her Children by King John
Louise J. Wilkinson

7. The Perils of Promotion: Maternal Ambition and Sacrifice in the Life of Joan of Navarre, Duchess of Brittany, and Queen of England
Elena Woodacre

Part II. The Legacy and Reputation of Royal Mothers-from Their Contemporaries to the Present Day

8. “Margaret R”: Lady Margaret Beaufort’s Self-fashioning and Female Ambition
Sally Fisher

9. Playing the Catalan: The Rise of the Chess Queen; Queenship and Political Motherhood in Late Medieval Aragon and France
Zita Rohr

10. Outlander, Baby Killer, Poisoner? Rethinking Bona Sforza’s Black Legend
Katarzyna Kosior

11. The Empress Matilda and Motherhood in Popular Fiction, 1970s to the Present
Katherine Weikert

Keywords: History, History of Medieval Europe, Social History, Gender Studies