Queenship 101: The Dos and Don'ts of Acting as a Royal Authority

Queenship 101: The Dos and Don’ts of Acting as a Royal Authority

In this course, you will be learning how to act correctly as a queen, exercise and maintain the proper amount of influence, and balance family and politics. This will occur through the deep scrutiny of works written by contemporary and past queens, and about their role and conduct. We will begin by examining the role of women in the political sphere historically, and then evaluate the present social expectations for queens and their role within the royal family. Additionally, we will scrutinize past queenship techniques and their results and acceptance in order to fully evaluate the dos and don’ts of acting as a royal authority to properly instruct the noblewomen of the court of Louis the Pious. The queens whose lives and political styles we will be discussing include Helen, Helena, Theodora, Chlotild, and Balthild. We then will evaluate the outcome of their choices, and how these choices affected the public’s opinion of them and their overall social reputation.

Course goal: To instruct prospective future noblewomen and queens of the court of Louis the Pious in how to properly act as a member of the nobility.

Weeks 1-2: Successful Queens: Helen and Helena as Pious and Domestic Women:

Readings:

• Ambrose, On the Emperor Theodosius
• Holum, “Theodosius the Great and his Women”

Helen and Helena were both seen as very virtuous and religious women who cared for the sick and poor. They were portrayed as willing to help in any way possible in order to combat human suffering within their state. Furthermore, they were domestic saints/ paragons because they were responsible in managing the familial portion of the palace environment. They raised the children in their household and ensured that the education of the male heirs to the throne was sufficient to their future rule as king. Helen and Helena conducted themselves in ways society thought sufficient to queenly conduct. Thus, these women are positively remembered through collective historical memory due to their ability to adhere to societal virtues and conduct themselves in a fitting manner.

Week 3-4: Unsuccessful Queens: Theodora, Choltild, and Balthild as Corrupt Influences and Power-Driven Women:

Readings:

• Procopius, Secret History, Part 1 and 2
• Garland, “Theodora”
• Venantius Fortunatus, Life of Radegund
• Anonymous, Life of Balthild
• Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks (selections)

Theodora, Choltild, and Balthild were all seen as negative influences on their husbands, the respective kings, and the ruler’s political rulings and motives. They were often seen as corrupting forces behind the king due to their loose/lacking morals. Moreover, they sought power and influence through the manipulation of their husband’s position as the regal head of the state. These women were also typically from a lower social caste and had previously held immoral lowly jobs prior to their marriage to the king. Therefore, they were initially seen as unfit to rule by the larger society due to their past regardless of any of their ruling history and political decisions.

Week 5: Final Project:

Construct an instruction manual for yourself and your fellow classmates based on what you have learned from the lives of past queens and noblewomen. Explain how a queen should and should not act according to the accounts read and class discussions.