Queenship in Britain, 1660-1837

Resumen del libro

"Queenship in Britain 1660-1837" looks at the lives of successive Queens, Princesses of Wales and royal daughters, and considers how they used their powers of patronage and operated within the confines of royal family politics. It brings together new approaches in gender history and court studies to present a re-evaluation of this previously neglected area in the study of the British monarchy. With contributions from an international group of scholars, a detailed discussion and explanation of these new approaches is contained in a substantial introduction.

Two of the essays then explore how the foreign and Catholic wives of the restored Stuarts coped with a libertine court and a Protestant nation, and an important new reassessment of Queen Anne examines her conformity to ideals of modest womanhood. Further essays on Hanoverian royal women highlight the significance of their German backgrounds, examining the role of Queen Caroline (wife of George II) as a connoisseur and collector, her daughter Anne, Princess Royal, as a patron of Handel's opera, and Queen Charlotte (wife of George III) as a patron of the sciences. Other essays explore the travails of Princesses of Wales, the marriage options of royal daughters, and the question of whether Queen Adelaide (wife of William IV) was a harmless philanthropist re-establishing royal respectability or a real political influence behind the throne.

This is required reading for undergraduates and academics concerned with gender and women's history, the British monarchy and court history. It will also appeal to the general reader who is interested in the role of women in the British monarchy.