2011/06/16 by Cristy A. Beemer · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · #Reformation and Early Modern Christianity
paper · doi:10.1080/07350198.2011.581937
openalex publication_date 2011/06/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Queen Mary I was crowned in 1553, becoming the first reigning queen of England. In order to provide a powerful image of female rule to her people, Queen Mary invented a rhetorical strategy that reflected her society's oppressive gender expectations of chaste silence so that she could become a powerfully voiced ruler. Her sister and successor, Queen Elizabeth I, later mirrored Mary's strategy. England's first female monarchs created an image of female rule by employing the figures of the spouse, the mother, and the maiden, embodying conventional roles for women in Tudor society, and reclaiming them as images of power.