#medieval queen

[belle-keys]

The Greens: Queen Alicent Hightower

“What have I done but what was expected of me? Forever upholding the kingdom, the family, the law. While you flout all to do as you please. Where is duty? Where is sacrifice? It's trampled under your pretty foot again.”

– House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 7, "Driftmark"

[elven-sisters]

Just some silly sketches. How do you think, which Silmarilion/LOTR character is she (genderswaps are also possible!) ?⭐

[ms-queen-c]

Isabel I

¿Una mujer reina de Castilla?

A woman queen of Castile?

[dreamysimsagas]

Queen Cwenhilde, the start of my Medieval Sims 4 save.

[krispycrowntree]

[moodboard-d]

[illustratus]

Lancelot crossing the Sword Bridge

Miniature illustration from a four-volume manuscript made for Jacques d'Armagnac, Duke of Nemours. Workshop of Évrard d'Espinques. Circa 1475.

[atomic-chronoscaph]

art by Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale (1910s)

[praparuru-ume]

The Queen who Never Was

Rhaenys Targaryen

[chocolatepot]

Hi! Can you elaborate on "Fuck GRRM's committment to 'historical realism' without knowing anything about medieval social history"? I would love to know about what GRRM gets wrong about medieval gender roles, specifically.

So Cersei learns at an early age that she has no agency, her only value is producing heirs and is barred from traditional routes of power so she has to use underhanded methods such as influencing men with sex or using underhanded magical means. I would love an explanation on why this doesn't reflect medieval queen consorts and noble women irl.

Sure! The basic summary is: GRRM "knows" the things that everyone "knows" about the middle ages, which are broad stereotypes often reflective of a) primary sources that deserve a critical reading rather than being taken at face value and b) the judgements of later periods making themselves look better at the medieval period's expense.

As Shiloh Carroll argues, building on the work of Helen Young, “readers are caught in a ‘feedback loop’ in which Martin’s work helps to create a neomedieval idea of the Middle Ages, which then becomes their idea of what the Middle Ages ‘really’ looked like, which is then used to defend Martin’s work as ‘realistic’ because it matches their idea of the real Middle Ages.”

Since you're mainly interested in Cersei here, I'd strongly recommend a book: Queenship and the Women of Westeros: Female Agency and Advice in Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire, edited by Zita Eva Rohr and Lisa Benz. It's an excellent read and speaks to exactly what you're asking about. The tone of the book is very positive and non-judgemental when it comes to GRRM and his depictions of women on the whole, but I think some of this is rhetorical positioning to not seem like "mean angry academics jumping on fiction for not being accurate," as the actual content turns the reader to thinking about how much agency and power medieval queens had in different European societies and how little of that worked its way into GRRM's worldbuilding.

It's true that women typically didn't inherit titles and thrones in their own right, and that they were usually given in marriage for political/dynastic reasons. However, they weren't seen as brood mares whose only duty was to pop out sons: both queens and noblewomen had roles to play as household managers, counselors, and lieutenants, actively participating in the ruling of their domains and in local and international diplomacy (women in political alliances were not just pawns sent to a powerful man's bed, but were to act as ambassadors for their families and to pass information back and forth), and they had to be raised with an understanding of this so that they could learn to do it. Motherhood was very important, don't get me wrong, but it's a mistake to assume as pop culture does that a wife's foremost duty being to provide heirs for her family meant that she was ONLY seen as a mother/potential mother.

Catelyn is a great example of what was expected of women in these positions. But in the books, Catelyn is basically the only woman who inhabits this role, and the impression given is that she's exceptional, that she's just in charge of the household because she's so great at it that Ned allows her to be his partner, and that he listens to her advice because she happens to be a wise person in his orbit - and also that Ned is exceptional for giving so much power to a woman, because in the world of ASOIAF, it takes an especially good man to do this. In GRRM's view of the medieval world, realpolitik and the accumulation of power are the most important things, so men in Westeros are extremely unlikely to give up any authority to their wives, even though this is historically inaccurate.

Cersei, on the other hand, is supposed to be a more realistic depiction of what would happen to an ambitious medieval woman. There's a chapter titled "Queen of Sad Mischance: Medievalism, “Realism,” and the Case of Cersei Lannister" in the book I've rec'd, and it deals with why this is problematic extremely well. (This is the source of the quote at the top of this post.) In it, Kavita Mudan Finn argues that Cersei embodies pretty much every medieval trope for the illegitimate wielding of power by a woman. She underhandedly gets people killed for opposing her, she seduces men into doing her bidding, she advances her family's interests and her own at the expense of the realm. She's made sympathetic through fannish interpretation and Lena Headey's performance, but in the text she's an evil woman doing evil things. Even when she gets to be regent for her son - a completely legitimate historical position that allowed women to handle the levers of power almost exactly like a king - she continues to do shitty things and not be taken seriously because she's just not good at ruling.

But even before then, from a medieval perspective she had access to completely legitimate power that she didn't use: she'd have had estates giving her a large personal income, religious establishments to patronize (giving her a good reputation as a pious woman and people she'd put in high positions being personally loyal to her), artists and writers to patronize as well, power over her household, men around her listening to her counsel. That she doesn't have that is a reflection of GRRM either deciding these things don't really exist in Westeros in order to make it a worse world than medieval Europe and justify Cersei feeling she had to use underhanded means of power, or not knowing that they were ordinary and unexceptional because he has a good working knowledge of the politics of the Wars of the Roses but little to no knowledge of social history beyond pop culture osmosis, and, imo, little to no interest in actual power dynamics.

There are a lot of books I'd recommend on this subject. There's a series from Palgrave Macmillan called "Queenship and Power" and nearly all the books in it are THE BEST. Theresa Earenfight's Queenship in Medieval Europe is a very readable introduction to the situations of queens in European societies across the continent. She also has a book, Women and Wealth in Late Medieval Europe, that also addresses non-royal women's power. I'm also a huge fan of English Aristocratic Women, 1450-1550: Marriage and Family, Property and Careers, by Barbara Harris, which really emphasizes the "career" aspect of women's lives as administrators and diplomats.

[eve-to-adam]

Elizabeth of York, fashion character design, c. 1481.

[ydolem-art]

Inktober day 16 : They Should Have Listened

[archerinventive]

"And the mystery knight should defeat all challengers and name the wolf maid the queen of love and beauty" - George RR Martin

Some sword related content for your Saturday. :)

Thank you to Liv. FH for capturing this moment, and to @unicorn-shieldmaiden for always being such a lovely friend and model. ❤️

[sky-high-standards]

Yandere King x Queen reader

(Usual warnings guys yandere behavior betrayal and mass murder REQUESTS ARE ALWAYS OPEN, and this is a bit like my other yandere King story)

You were the ruler of a strong kingdom you were admired by all due to your wisdom and independence there weren't many other Kingdoms ruled by a woman without a husband, so you were made famous for this, but you constantly got marriage proposals from Princes Dukes and Kings of many Kingdoms, but you refused each one which only made them desire you more and the proposals kept on coming but there was one man who you thought was different he was the King of a nearby Kingdom that you had an alliance with.

You met him at a ball you came only for trading opportunities and kept to yourself until a drunk man grabbed you by your waist and tried to lure you into the bedroom and touched you inappropriately and naturally you struggled and resisted him, but he didn't like this, and he was about to hit you when a tall gentlemen stopped him and escorted you away from him you thanked him and you two spoke for the rest of the night and you learned he was king Félix the ruler of a very strong Kingdom nearby yours you two soon started an alliance and became good friends what you really admired about Félix is that he never tried to make a move on you and u thought you thought that he had absolutely no romantic feelings for you so you trusted him very much that was your first mistake you were in your throne room discussing matters with your staff when Felix decided to pay you a visit.

You went to the garden with him like you usually did and Félix said.

Félix: Y/n you are an independent and beautiful woman, but have you ever taken a liking to someone.

You were taken back b his question and had a bad feeling about this.

Y/n: No why do you ask?

Félix then sighed and looked you in the eye.

Félix: Y/n we've known each other for a while now and want you to know that the moment I laid eyes on you at the ball I wanted to make you mine.

You were really starting to get nervous, and your stomach dropped when he went down on one knee.

Félix: So, Y/n (last name) will you marry me?

Y/n: Felix I'm sorry but I refuse I only see you as a friend, but you will find someone.

Unbeknownst to you something snapped in him, and he wanted to forcefully take you right then and there, but he kept composure and politely excused himself and went back to his carriage. Of course, you felt bad for rejecting Félix, but you never saw him in a romantic way, but you were sure that everything would go back to normal, but it didn't.

Félix didn't come back for a while after that and naturally you worried about him but what happened next was something that changed your image of Félix forever.

You were in your chambers reading but you were interrupted by your frantic staff saying that your Kingdom was under attack, so you rushed outside only to be met by around 5000 armed knights who were led by none other than Félix and when you saw this you were speechless the feeling of betrayal was overwhelming.

Y/n: Félix what is the meaning of this?

Félix: Y/n I tried to make you mine the nice way, but you rejected me so now I have to take matters into my own hands so choose my dear will you marry me and save your Kingdom, or do you refuse and risk getting all of your beloved subjects killed.

Y/n: Fine Félix you win I will marry you.

you hated the smirk of satisfaction on his face but what could you do you can't let these people get hurt it was your job to protect them, so you went with Félix, and on the day of your wedding your subjects decided to try and rescue you and for a second you thought they would win but that was until you saw the smirk on Félix's face and he snapped his fingers and his thousands of guards came in and mercilessly murdered every single one of them your snow white wedding was painted red in under 5 minutes

"don't worry my dear I'm all you need"

Is what he said before he kissed you now your married to the man who causes you the most pain.

hey guys I think I'll make more parts of this stay hydrated and safe love you guys♥

[lillygamine]

𝐿𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝐿𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝒯ℎ𝑒 𝒬𝑢𝑒𝑒𝑛

♡ Warning: Female!Reader X Male!Yandere, Male!Sodier!Guard!Yandere, Delusional!Yandere, Mention of non-consensual relationship, Mention of nsfw, Short imagine. ♡ Note:I had thoughts about nsfw with a medieval soldier/guard, but I needed to at least put something about it since I'm not very good with NSFW stories, maybe if this has repercussions I'll write something 👀 ♡ Note2:I don't speak English so I'm sorry for any mistakes in writing. ⚠️ Minors please dni with most posts/follow ⚠️

Fight battles and wars that are not mine, live for a single purpose, the purpose of serving, the duty to the Queen and to this nation. Never before have I been so loyal to something or someone, living life in an endless limbo, without purpose or happiness, without duty or reason to continue living, existing as a long-lost soul, wandering in this dark and endless limbo. I was always good at obeying orders, doing what I was told to do, after all; I had no ambitions, values, opinions or desires, I was a shell of a man, so I don't understand…

That woman, who had just been entrusted with such a huge responsibility, taking care of an entire kingdom, carrying such a heavy burden that was placed on her shoulders without even having her wishes taken into consideration, could have noticed my presence. She looked deep into my eyes and extended her hand to me, offering me a purpose, a reason to live, not as an order but as a request. As if we were equal, as if what I wanted was important.

A warrior, her sword, her hands, her dog, I was all of that. Fight your battles, Win your wars, be your eyes and ears, be your most loyal dog, but I was flawed Serving her is my purpose, my duty, but my desire was to possess her. Desire corrupted me, growing inside my chest like weeds, gnawing at me from the inside, expanding and feeding on every little sigh, every little smile, every look from her.

I don't know when it started, but when I finally noticed it, it had already spread through my being like a fire in a dry forest on a burning summer day. My body burned in flames even away from her, my mind, corroded with profane thoughts, making me desire her so ardently. Your smile, your voice, your eyes, your touch… I felt haunted every time I closed my eyes.

I wanted to touch her, hear her voice calling to me, feel her tremors and fill her with my bastards, desecrate her completely, make her mine and mine alone. I know she feels the same, her kindness, her pity, it can be nothing but love, a pure love from someone who has never been tainted by the sadism and cruelty of life, who has never been desecrated by lust and greed, a pure being .

The queen must be desecrated by the world, but it's okay if it's me…right? Your most loyal guard, your most obedient dog, right? I can it,right? I have that right, I'm only loyal to the queen! She certainly agrees with me… I can protect her from the dark world, even if I end up desecrating her along the way… The queen will be alive and safe, the queen will be mine... Long live for the Queen

[krispycrowntree]