Queens Victoria, Elizabeth I, and Elizabeth II are the longest-reigning monarchs in the history of their nation, and their actions (or lack thereof) have had a significant impact on popular culture. The lives of these three women have been preserved for posterity through countless books, articles, and film. In today’s modern world of technology, social media has also “caught the bug” and daily one will find YouTube clips focusing on Queen Elizabeth II, as well as other women connected to royalty such as Megan Markle.
What type of power did/do these women possess and how did they use it, or were/are they essentially powerless as female monarchs? Clearly, the constitutional situation in the time of Elizabeth I was different from that of Victoria and Elizabeth II but what similarities can one find in the ways in which they governed? People are forever fascinated with power and those who wield it. These women often complied with society’s expectations but did, at times, stepped outside the sphere prescribed for them; for example, Elizabeth I refused to marry, Victoria challenged her prime minister on more than one occasion, and Elizabeth II not only married someone that no one in her family wanted but also refused to sign off on sending British troops to war in the late 20th century.
Using biographies and other scholarly works, several films including Elizabeth, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Elizabeth I, Victoria, Victoria-Albert, Victoria-Abdul, and The Crown, and social media, this paper aims to analyze the impact of female queens in the context of their eras as well as examining their influences in 21st century popular culture.
About the presenterJerra Jenrette
Jerra Jenrette is Professor of History in the Department of History, Politics, Languages, and Cultures at Edinboro University. Her areas of expertise include US women’s history, labor, Christianity, popular culture, and Latin America. Most recently she has been researching women and war and anticipates a chapter in a forthcoming book on North Carolina During WWWI; Her chapter focuses on women on the warfront. The expected publication date is 2018 from the University of Tennessee Press.