Empresses and Queens in Courtly Public Spheres from the 17th to the 20th Century

The book analyzes the evolving interaction between court and media from a yet understudied perspective. Eight case studies focus on different European Empress consorts and Queen regnants from the 17th to the 20th centuries, using a unique, comparative, cross-media, and cross-period approach. This volume raises a multitude of issues, ranging from how prominently female figures were portrayed for the public over time; how their faces and bodies were moulded and rearticulated to fit varying expectations in multiple public spheres; and the degree to which they, as female subjects, engaged with or had agency within the processes of production and reception. Hereby, two types of female rulership and their relationship to the media are contrasted, and lesser-known and under-researched dynastic women are spotlighted. Contributors include: Christine Engelke, Anna Fabiankowitsch, Inga Lena ngstr m Grandien, Titia Hensel, Andrea Mayr, Alison McQueen, Marion Romberg, and Alison Rowley.