Gender, Power, and Regnant Queenship in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem

Abstract

This thesis will explore the relationship between regnant queenship and power in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. Specifically, the reigns of Queens Melisende (r. 1131-1153), Sibylla (r. 1186-1190), Isabella (r. 1190-1205), Maria (r. 1205-1212), and Yolande (r. 1212-1228) are considered here. Through analyzing their reigns and the ways in which these queens regnant exerted power, this thesis will propose that current notions of power as military and political in nature are too limited to fully appreciate the ways in which medieval queens regnant were able to exert power.