Aqueen consort is the wife of a reigningking, and usually shares her spouse's socialrank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchicaltitles and may be crowned and anointed, but historically she does not formally share the king's political and military powers, unless on occasion acting asregent.[1][2]
In contrast, aqueen regnant is a femalemonarch who rulessuo jure (Latin for, "in her own right") and usually becomes queen by inheriting the throne upon the death of the previous monarch.
Aqueen dowager is a widowed queen consort, and aqueen mother is a queen dowager who is the mother of the current monarch.
When a title other than king is held by the sovereign, his wife can be referred to by the feminine equivalent, such asprincess consort or empress consort.
In monarchies wherepolygamy has been practised in the past (such asMorocco andThailand), or is practised today (such as theZulu nation and the variousYoruba polities), the number of the king's wives and their status varies. In Morocco,King Mohammed VI has broken with tradition and given his wife,Lalla Salma, the title of princess; prior to his reign, the Moroccan monarchy had no such title. InThailand, the king and queen must both be ofroyal descent; his other consorts need not be royal before marriage to him but are accorded royal titles that confer status. A Zuluchieftain designates one of his wives as "Great Wife", an equivalent to queen consort.
The situation is more complex inYorubaland.All of a chief's consorts are essentially of equal rank. Although one wife, usually the one married to thechief for the longest time, may be given achieftaincy of her own to highlight her relatively higher status compared to the other wives, she does not share her husband's ritual power as a chieftain. When a woman is to be vested with an authority similar to that of the chief, she is usually alady courtier in his service who, although not married to him, is expected to lead his female subjects on his behalf.
The title ofprince consort for the husband of a reigning queen is more common. The monarchies that adopted this title did so because the title of king is usually historically higher than queen, so when the sovereign is female, her husband should never have a higher title than her. An example isPrince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He marriedQueen Victoria of theUnited Kingdom; because she insisted that he be given a title identifying his status, he becameAlbert, Prince Consort.[4]
The traditionalhistoriography on queenship has created an image of a queen who is a king's "helpmate"[5] and provider of heirs.[6][7][8] They had power within the royal household and partially within the court. Their duty was running the royal household smoothly, such as directing the children's education, supervising the staff, and managing the private royal treasury.[9] They unofficially acted as hostesses, ensuring the royal family was not involved in scandals and giving gifts to high-ranking officials in a society where this was important to maintain bonds. As a result, consorts were expected to act as wise, loyal, and chaste women.[10]
Some royal consorts of foreign origin have served as cultural transmitters. Due to their unique position of being reared in one culture and then, when very young, promised into marriage in another land with a different culture, they have served as a cultural bridge between nations. Based on their journals, diaries, and other autobiographical or historical accounts, some exchanged and introduced new forms of art, music, religion, and fashion.[11]
However, the consorts of monarchs have no official political powerper se, even when their position isconstitutionally orstatutorily recognized. They often held an informal sort of power dependent on the opportunities afforded to them. Should a queen consort have had an amiable personality and high intelligence, produced a healthyheir, and gained the favor of the court, then chances were higher she would gain more power over time.[12] Many royal consorts have been shrewd or ambitious stateswomen and, usually (but not always) unofficially, among the monarch's most trusted advisors. In some cases, the royal consort has been the chief power behind her husband's throne, e.g.,Maria Luisa of Parma, wife ofCharles IV of Spain. At other times the consort of a deceased monarch (thedowager queen orqueen mother) has served asregent if her child, the successor to the throne, was still a minor:
QueenEmma, second consort ofWilliam III of the Netherlands: When William died on 23 November 1890, Emma became regent (1890–1898) for her underaged daughter,Wilhelmina, the late king's only surviving child.
Because queens consort lack anordinal with which to distinguish between them, many historical texts and encyclopedias refer to deceased consorts by their premarital (or maiden) name or title, not by their marital royal title (examples: Queen Mary, consort ofGeorge V, is usually calledMary of Teck, and Queen Maria José, consort ofUmberto II of Italy, is usually calledMarie José of Belgium).
^abDavis, Fanny (1986)."The Valide".The Ottoman Lady: A Social History from 1718 to 1918. Bloomsbury Academic.ISBN0-313-24811-7.
^Chancellor, Frank B. (1931).Prince Consort. New York: The Dial Press. pp. 215–218.
^Stafford, P (1983).Queens, Concubines and Dowagers: The King's Wife in the Early Middle Ages. London. p. 100.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Stafford, P (1983).Queens, Concubines and Dowagers: The King's Wife in the Early Middle Ages. London. p. 86.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Stafford, P (1983).Queens, Concubines and Dowagers: The King's Wife in the Early Middle Ages. London. p. 112.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Stafford, P (1983).Queens, Concubines and Dowagers: The King's Wife in the Early Middle Ages. London. p. 99.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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