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.