Humanities › History & Culture Medieval Women of History Medieval Women of History Share Flipboard Email Print Elizabeth Woodville, 1463. Hulton Archive/The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images History & Culture Women's History Important Figures History Of Feminism Key Events Women's Suffrage Women & War Laws & Womens Rights Feminist Texts American History African American History African History Ancient History and Culture Asian History European History Genealogy Inventions Latin American History Medieval & Renaissance History Military History The 20th Century View More By Jone Johnson Lewis Jone Johnson Lewis Women's History Writer B.A., Mundelein College M.Div., Meadville/Lombard Theological School Jone Johnson Lewis is a women's history writer who has been involved with the women's movement since the late 1960s. She is a former faculty member of the Humanist Institute. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on January 30, 2019 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, regent Aelfgifu (~ 985 - 1002?): first wife of King Aethelred II "the Unready" Aelfled: same as Aethelflaed below Aelfthryth (877 - 929): princess, countess, genealogical link of Anglo Saxon kings to Anglo Norman dynasty, daughter of Alfred the Great Aelfthryth (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 Wales Amalasuntha (498 - 535): ruler of the Ostrogoths, first as regent for her son Amina, Queen of Zazzau (~ 1533 - ~ 1600): warrior queen, extended territory of her people Andal (10th century): Alvar saint, Tamil devotional poet, daughter of Periyalvar 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 Shakespeare Anna 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 Russia Anna Comnena (1083 - 1148): Byzantine princess, political figure, historian, medical writer Anne 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 England Anne 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 I Brunhilde (~ 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 1970 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 Cecily 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 VII Clare of Assisi (1193/4 - 1253) founded the Poor Clares, a Franciscan order for women Anna Comnena (1083 - 1148): Byzantine princess, political figure, historian, medical writer D Isabella d'Este (1474 - 1539): Marchioness ( Marchessa) of Mantua, ruler, art collector and patron; actively involved in political intrigues Margaret 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 nobles Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122 - 1204): ruler in her own right of Aquitaine, queen consort in France then queen consort in England and queen mother in England Eleanor of England (1215 - 1275): daughter of King John of England and wife of Simon de Montfort Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile (1162 - 1214): queen consort of Alfonso VIII of Castile, daughter of Henry II of England Elfreda or Elfrida or Elfgiva (~ 985 - 1002?): first wife of King Aethelred II "the Unready" Elfthryth (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 - 1603 Elizabeth Woodville (~ 1437 - 1492): queen consort of Edward IV, mother of Edward V, mother of Elizabeth of York Elizabeth of York (1466 - 1503): daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, queen consort of Henry VII, mother of Henry VIII, Mary Tudor and Margaret Tudor Isabella d'Este (1474 - 1539): Marchioness ( Marchessa) of Mantua, ruler, art collector and patron; actively involved in political intrigues Ethelfleda (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, writer Lady Godiva (~ 1010 - 1066/86): noblewoman of legendary horseback ride Lady 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 Aragon Isabella of France (1292 - 1358): Queen consort of Edward II of England, mother of Edward III, rebelled against husband's rule and deposed him Isabella d'Este (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 queen Judith 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 king Margery Kempe (~ 1373 - ~ 1440): mystic, autobiographer L Lady Li (before 923 - after 934): artist, painter in China Louise of Savoy (1476 - 1531): Duchess of Angoulême, mother of Francis I of France and Marguerite of Navarre Ludmilla (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 Shakespeare Margaret of Scotland (Saint Margaret) (~ 1045 - 1093): married Malcolm III, King of Scotland Margaret Tudor (1489 - 1541): sister of Henry VIII of England, queen of James IV of Scotland, grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots Margery Kempe (~ 1373 - ~ 1440): mystic, autobiographer Marguerite of Navarre (Marguerite of Angoulême) (1492 - 1549): mother of Jeanne d'Albret, sister of King Francis I of France, grandmother of Henry IV of France Mary I of England (1516 - 1558): first queen to rule England in her own right with full coronation Saint Matilda of Saxony (~ 895 - 986): Queen of Germany, Empress, ancestor of Capetian dynasty, founder of monasteries, built churches, 10th century German saint Empress Matilda, Lady of the English (1102 - 1167): named heir of her father Henry I, fought civil war with her cousin, Stephen, when he seized the throne Empress Maud: see Empress Matilda above Mirabai (~ 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 Angoulême, mother of Francis I of France and Marguerite of Navarre Sigrid the Haughty (~ 968 - before 1013 if she existed): legendary rebellious princess Empress 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 1970 Theodora (~497/510 - 548): married to Justinian, Emperor of Byzantium Trota or Trotula (? - 1097?): physician, writer, possibly legendary Margaret 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 Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Lewis, Jone Johnson. "Medieval Women of History." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/medieval-women-of-history-4059906. Lewis, Jone Johnson. (2023, April 5). Medieval Women of History. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/medieval-women-of-history-4059906 Lewis, Jone Johnson. "Medieval Women of History." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/medieval-women-of-history-4059906 (accessed May 28, 2023). copy citation