Medieval Women of History 500 CE - 1600 CE

An index to biographies on this site of notable women who lived about 500 through about 1600 -- including the Middle Ages, the European Renaissance and the Tudor period in British history. A Adelaide  (931 - 999): saint, Western empress, regentAelfgifu  (~ 985 - 1002?):  first  wife of King Aethelred II the UnreadyAelfled:  same as Aethelflaed belowAelfthryth  (877 - 929): princess, countess,  genealogical link of  Anglo Saxon  kings to  Anglo Norman  dynasty, daughter of Alfred the GreatAelfthryth  Ã‚  (945 - 1000):  English Saxon queen, married to King Edgar the Peaceable and the mother of King  Aethelflaed  (872-879? - 918): defeated  the Danes at Leicester and Derby, invading WalesAmalasuntha  (498 - 535): ruler of the Ostrogoths, first as regent for her sonAmina, Queen of Zazzau  (~ 1533 - ~ 1600): warrior queen, extended territory of her peopleAndal  (10th century):  Alvar saint, Tamil devotional poet, daughter of PeriyalvarMargaret of Anjou  (1429 - 1482):  Queen Consort of Henry VI of England, figure in the Wars of the Roses and the Hundred Years War, character in four plays by William ShakespeareAnna  of Kiev (963 - 1011):  married to Vladimir I the Great of Kiev; her marriage was the occasion of the conversion of Vladimir to Christianity and thus the Christianization of RussiaAnna Comnena  (1083 - 1148): Byzantine princess, political figure, historian, medical writerAnne Neville  (1456 - 1485):  wife of Edward, Prince of Wales, son of Henry VI; wife of Richard of Gloucester, and, when he became King Richard III, Anne became Queen of EnglandAnne of Cleves  (1515? - 1557): married to and divorced from Henry VIII of England B Berengaria  of Navarre (1163? 1165? - 1230): queen consort of Richard I of England  Berenguela of Castile  (1180 - 1246): briefly, queen of Leon; regent of Castile for her brother Enrique IBrunhilde  (~ 545 - 613): Queen of the Franks, Queen of Austrasia, regent C Catherine of Siena  (1347 - 1380): patron saint of Italy, credited  with persuading the Pope to return the papacy from Avignon to Rome; one of two women who were named  Doctors of the Church  in 1970Catherine of Valois  (1401 - 1437):  wife of Henry V of England, mother of Henry VI, grandmother of Henry VII the first Tudor king, also the daughter of a kingCecily Neville, Duchess of York  (1415 - 1495):  figure in the Wars of the Roses in medieval England, mother of King Edward IV and King Richard III, grandmother of  Elizabeth of York  who married Henry VIIClare of Assisi  (1193/4 - 1253) founded the Poor Clares, a Franciscan order for womenAnna Comnena  (1083 - 1148): Byzantine princess, political figure, historian, medical writer D Isabella dEste  (1474 - 1539):  Marchioness ( Marchessa) of Mantua, ruler, art collector and patron; actively involved in political intriguesMargaret Douglas  (1515 - 1578):  grandmother of James VI of Scotland who became James I of England, niece of Henry VIII, plotted on behalf of Roman Catholicism in England E Edith of Wilton  (961 - 984): nun at Wilton, illegitimate daughter of Edgar the Peaceable, reportedly offered the crown of England by noblesEleanor of Aquitaine  (1122 - 1204): ruler in her own right of Aquitaine, queen consort in France then queen consort in England and queen mother in EnglandEleanor of England  (1215 - 1275): daughter of King John of England and wife of Simon de MontfortEleanor of England, Queen of Castile  (1162 - 1214): queen consort of Alfonso VIII of Castile, daughter of Henry II of EnglandElfreda  or Elfrida or Elfgiva  (~ 985 - 1002?):  first  wife of King Aethelred II the UnreadyElfthryth  (945 - 1000):  English Saxon queen, married to King Edgar the Peaceable and the mother of King  Elizabeth I of England  (1533 - 1603): queen of England 1558 - 1603Elizabeth Woodville  (~ 1437 - 1492): queen consort of Edward IV, mother of Edward V, mother of Elizabeth of YorkElizabeth of York  (1466 - 1503): daughter of Edward IV and  Elizabet h Woodville, queen consort of Henry VII, mother of Henry VIII, Mary Tudor and Margaret TudorIsabella dEste  (1474 - 1539):  Marchioness (  Marchessa) of Mantua, ruler, art collector and patron; actively involved in political intriguesEthelfleda  (872-879? - 918): defeated  the Danes at Leicester and Derby, invading Wales F Fredegund  (~ 550 - 597): consort of King Chilperic I of Soissons G Beatriz Galindo  (~ 1464, 1474, or 1475 - 1534): tutor, physician, writerLady Godiva  (~ 1010 - 1066/86): noblewoman of legendary horseback rideLady Jane Grey  (1537 - 1554): 9 day reign as Queen of England, briefly supplanting Mary I and Elizabeth I H Hrotsvitha  (~ 930 - after 973): canoness, poet, dramatist, historian I Isabella I of Castile and Aragon (Isabella of Spain): Queen of Castile and AragonIsabella of France  (1292 - 1358): Queen consort of Edward II of England, mother of Edward III, rebelled against husbands rule and deposed himIsabella dEste  (1474 - 1539):  Marchioness ( Marchessa) of Mantua, ruler, art collector and patron; actively involved in political intrigues J Joan of England  (1165 - 1199): daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II of England, Sicilian queenJudith of France - Judith of Flanders  (about 843 - ?): married to two Saxon English kings, daughter of Charles the Bald, King of Franks and Holy Roman Emperor K Katherine of Valois  (1401 - 1437):  wife of Henry V of England, mother of Henry VI, grandmother of Henry VII the first Tudor king, also the daughter of a kingMargery Kempe  (~ 1373 - ~ 1440): mystic, autobiographer L Lady Li  (before 923 - after 934): artist, painter in ChinaLouise of Savoy  (1476 - 1531):  Duchess of Angoulà ªme, mother of Francis I of France and  Marguerite of NavarreLudmilla  (860 - 921): saint, instituted Christianity in Bohemia, supported and educated Duke Wenceslaus M Margaret of Anjou  (1429 - 1482):  Queen Consort of Henry VI of England, figure in the Wars of the Roses and the Hundred Years War, character in four plays by William ShakespeareMargaret of Scotland (Saint Margaret)  (~ 1045 - 1093): married Malcolm III, King of ScotlandMargaret Tudor  (1489 - 1541): sister of Henry VIII of England, queen of James IV of Scotland,  grandmother of  Mary, Queen of ScotsMargery Kempe  (~ 1373 - ~ 1440): mystic, autobiographerMarguerite of Navarre (Marguerite of Angoulà ªme)  (1492 - 1549): mother of Jeanne dAlbret, sister of King Francis I of France, grandmother of Henry IV of FranceMary I of England  (1516 - 1558): first queen to rule England in her own right with full coronationSaint Matilda of Saxony  (~ 895 - 986):  Queen of Germany, Empress, ancestor of Capetian dynasty, founder of monasteries, built churches, 10th century German saintEmpress Matilda, Lady of the English  (1102 - 1167): named heir of her father Henry I, foug ht civil war with her cousin, Stephen, when he seized the throneEmpress Maud: see Empress Matilda aboveMirabai  (~ 1498 - 1545): saint, poet, mystic, princess, rani O Olga of Russia  (or Kiev) (~ 890 - 969?): founded Russian Christianity with her grandson Vladimir, regent for her son P Catherine Parr  (1512? - 1548): sixth wife of Henry VIII S Louise of Savoy  (1476 - 1531): Duchess of Angoulà ªme, mother of Francis I of France and  Marguerite of NavarreSigrid the Haughty  (~ 968 - before 1013  if  she existed): legendary rebellious princessEmpress Suiko  (554 - 628): first reigning empress of Japan in recorded history T Saint Teresa of Avila  (1515 - 1582): established Discalced order of Carmelite nuns during Counter-Reformation, named Doctor of the Church in 1970Theodora  (~497/510 - 548): married to Justinian, Emperor of ByzantiumTrota or Trotula  (? - 1097?): physician, writer, possibly legendaryMargaret Tudor  (1489 - 1541): sister of Henry VIII of England, queen of James IV of Scotland,  grandmother of  Mary, Queen of Scots V Catherine of Valois  (1401 - 1437):  wife of Henry V of England, mother of Henry VI, grandmother of Henry VII the first Tudor king, also the daughter of a king W Elizabeth Woodville  (~ 1437 - 1492): queen consort of Edward IV, mother of Edward V, mother of  Elizabeth of York