Junge Königinnen

Three Queens in a Male-Dominated World - with a color image section. Historian Leah Redmond Chang brings together in her groundbreaking narrative history the three lives of the great Renaissance queens: Catherine de' Medici of France, her daughter Elisabeth of Valois from Spain, and Mary Stuart of Scotland. Together, they experienced the fundamental changes that shook 16th-century Europe: a time of expanding empires, religious strife, and populist revolts, as concepts of nationality and absolutist notions of rule emerged. They learned that being a queen meant waging a constant war against the deep-rooted misogyny of their time. A royal crown could elevate a young woman, but it could also destroy her. Thus, these three women rose to great power during their reigns, and each of them faced challenges sooner or later. Redmond Chang compellingly traces the life paths of the three queens from childhood to young adulthood. She uncovers dramatic facts and parallels between them using little-explored archival materials, illuminating the bonds, rivalries, hopes, and desires that shaped their lives and altered the course of history – highlighting the specific aspect of female power that was accompanied by shrewd calculation and great willingness to sacrifice. She also addresses questions such as: Was Catherine really that evil? Was Mary that innocent? And could it be that Catherine's daughter, Elisabeth of Valois, wielded much more power than thought, despite her youth? "Young Queens" provides a new nuanced and previously unknown portrait of three influential women who shaped the royal houses and society of Europe, yet were always at the mercy of their husbands, families, and kingdoms. Features: 16 pages of color images.