The discourse of political counsel in early modern Europe depended on the participation of men, as both counsellors and counselled. Women were often thought too irrational or imprudent to give or receive political advice—but they did in unprecedented numbers, as this volume shows. These essays trace the relationship between queenship and counsel through over three hundred years of history. Case studies span Europe, from Sweden and Poland-Lithuania via the Habsburg territories to England and France, and feature queens regnant, consort and regent, including Elizabeth I of England, Catherine Jagiellon of Sweden, Catherine de’ Medici and Anna of Denmark. They draw on a variety of innovative sources to recover evidence of queenly counsel, from treatises and letters to poetry, masques and architecture. For scholars of history, politics and literature in early modern Europe, this book enriches our understanding of royal women as political actors.

“This is a valuable addition to the Queenship and Counsel series and a useful work for anyone wanting to learn about how queens in Early Modern Europe were counselled and how they received that counsel, with some, like Elizabeth I, taking counsel but often still ignoring it and making her own decision. It is still a very academic work, and so I would only recommend this to those who have some experience of the events in question.” (Charlie Fenton, Tudor Life, Issue 53, January, 2019)

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Helen Matheson-Pollock is Honorary Research Associate at University College London, UK.
Joanne Paul is Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Sussex, UK.
Catherine Fletcher is Associate Professor in History and Heritage at Swansea University, UK.