The Role of Royal Women in England's Tenth-Century Succession Disputes

Description

The tenth century was critical to the formation of the Kingdom of England. Faced with viking invasion, almost all the smaller Saxon kingdoms that had characterised the political landscape from the fifth to ninth centuries capitulated. Famously, however, King Alfred the Great led the West Saxons to victory over the vikings, and it would be his dynasty that stood ready to step into the political vacuum. Yet, the trajectory of the West Saxon dynasts to overlordship of England was not without its problems. This seminar focuses on three fraternal succession crises that occurred during tenth century – in 924, 955 and 975. Specifically, it turns to the little considered question of what role royal women played in these moments of crisis, how they turned them to their advantage, and what this meant for the development of the office of the queen in England.

Period	30 Aug 2024
Held at	College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Degree of Recognition	Regional