#and there were exceptions (Cynethryth and Seaxburh of Ely; Seaxburh of Wessex who seems to have ruled in her own right; etc)

[wonder-worker]

“The condition of the dowager queen in early Anglo-Saxon England seems less secure than among the Franks, but this appears to result from political implications rather than loss of the dignity of queenship. There were few active queen-regents, but the mature succession and semi-elective nature of Anglo-Saxon monarchy virtually eliminated this avenue of occupation for a king's widow.”

Julie Anne Smith, “Queen-Making and Queenship in Early Medieval England and Francia” / Stefany Wragg, "Early English Queens, 650-850: Speculum Reginae"

"Several mothers of kings were influential [in early Anglo-Saxon England] but examples of queens serving as regents seem rare […]. This is a major difference from, for example, Frankish queens, because of the nature of early English kingship. Frankish kings were more strictly patrilineal, descending in the first instance from father to son and, only in their absence, then to other male relatives. Kingship in early England, on the other hand, derived from two major principles. Firstly, a candidate for the throne had to be a male descended from the royal stock, usually with a mythic progenitor. Secondly, he had to be a proven and effective military leader. There are almost no examples of kings younger than their late teens. Ecgfrith of Mercia [son of Offa and Cynethryth] is a notable counterexample, but the circumstances of his accession were remarkable […]. Queens in early England, then, were sometimes mothers, though rarely continued as dowager queens, but were always defined by their close proximity to kings."

[boopaloop52]

#to be clear this is specifically about about *early* Anglo-Saxon England#and there were exceptions (Cynethryth and Seaxburh of Ely; Seaxburh of Wessex who seems to have ruled in her own right; etc)#But regents for minors become a far more notable and prominent feature from the late 10th century#mainly beginning with Aelfthryth who functioned as regent for her son Ethelred#and whose role paved the way for Emma of Normandy#(Eadgifu is often viewed as a regent but this is misleading: her sons were adults. She was powerful but she wasn't ruling for them)

“The condition of the dowager queen in early Anglo-Saxon England seems less secure than among the Franks, but this appears to result from political implications rather than loss of the dignity of queenship. There were few active queen-regents, but the mature succession and semi-elective nature of Anglo-Saxon monarchy virtually eliminated this avenue of occupation for a king's widow.”

Julie Anne Smith, “Queen-Making and Queenship in Early Medieval England and Francia” / Stefany Wragg, "Early English Queens, 650-850: Speculum Reginae"

"Several mothers of kings were influential [in early Anglo-Saxon England] but examples of queens serving as regents seem rare […]. This is a major difference from, for example, Frankish queens, because of the nature of early English kingship. Frankish kings were more strictly patrilineal, descending in the first instance from father to son and, only in their absence, then to other male relatives. Kingship in early England, on the other hand, derived from two major principles. Firstly, a candidate for the throne had to be a male descended from the royal stock, usually with a mythic progenitor. Secondly, he had to be a proven and effective military leader. There are almost no examples of kings younger than their late teens. Ecgfrith of Mercia [son of Offa and Cynethryth] is a notable counterexample, but the circumstances of his accession were remarkable […]. Queens in early England, then, were sometimes mothers, though rarely continued as dowager queens, but were always defined by their close proximity to kings."