Mara de Molina, Queen and Regent: Life and Rule in Castile-Len, 12591321

(Hardback)

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This biography of Queen Mara de Molina thematically explores her life and demonstrates her collective exercise of power and authority as queen. Throughout her public life, Mara de Molinas resilient determination, as queen and later as regent, enabled her to not only work tirelessly to establish an effective governing partnership with her husband King Sancho IV, which never occurred, but also to establish the legitimacy of her children and their heirs and their right to rule. Such legitimacy enabled Queen Mara de Molinas son and grandson, under her tutelage, to fend off other monarchs and belligerent nobles. The author demonstrates the queens ability to govern the Kingdom of Castile-Len as a partner with her husband King Sancho IV, a partnership that can be described as an official union. A major theme of this study is Mara de Molinas role as dowager queen and regent as she continued to exercise her queenly power and authority to protect the throne of her son Fernando IV and, later, of her grandson Alfonso XI, and to provide peace and stability for the Kingdom of Castile-Len.

Reviews

Professor Pepins book is an excellent medium to make Maria de Molinas political life more easily accessible to an English-speaking audience, showing a remarkable effort of translation of medieval Spanish sources, and written by someone who has been in a vivid closeness with the places Queen Maria visited and lived in. * The Catholic Historical Review *
The greatest benefit of Pepins work is that it provides an accessible introduction for those who are unfamiliar with the history. It is a relatively slim and entertaining book that is easy to read, and Pepin does an excellent job of explicating the political circumstances surrounding complicated issues, such as the papal bull that Mara and Sancho sought to secure their dynasty. Furthermore, she makes connections between Maras rule and that of her female relatives, which serve to contextualize her exercise of queenship. . . . Pepins work and the attention that it brings to this obscure, yet worthy subject are most welcome. * Bulletin of Spanish Studies *
This new biography provides an engaging and accessible portrait of one of the most important queens of medieval Castile. For those unfamiliar with the life of Mara de Molina, this work provides an excellent introduction. Pepin brings to life the challenges that Mara had to overcome and highlights her successful rule as queen in partnership with first her husband and later her son. Maras career is an important case study for both queenship in the Middle Ages and Iberian history in this fascinating era. -- Elena Woodacre, University of Winchester
This study makes the eventful life of Mara de Molina accessible for the first time in English. Queen-consort to Sancho IV of Castile and twice regent for her son and grandson, Mara de Molina is a remarkable example of womens power in medieval Iberia. The attention Pepin gives to her career is most welcome. -- Janna Bianchini, University of Maryland

Author Bio

Paulette Lynn Pepin is associate professor of history at the University of New Haven.