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Women Who Ruled the World

5000 Years of Female Monarchy

Elizabeth Norton

$49.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English
BONNIER
01 January 2026
Female kings have always been a rarity, an oddity, or an undesirable outcome. In almost all places on the globe a male ruler was preferred to a woman, with female inheritance vanishingly rare and frequently disputed. In spite of this, women have secured crowns - or fought for them - over several millennia. This scintillating book tell the story of the female kings: women who risked everything, sometimes unwillingly, to find a place in a man's world.

Women Who Ruled the World covers an exhilarating expanse of time and space: from the lush oases of Ancient Egypt to the cherry blossomed islands of Japan, from the 19th century Queens of Madagascar who defied French attempts to colonise them to Tamar the Great, who presided over a golden age in Georgia. From the familiar - Boudicca, Cleopatra, Catherine to Great - to the unfamiliar - Urracca of Castile and Leon, Kushite queen Shanakdakhete, Lili'uokalani of Hawaii. This ground-breaking book casts a global eye over five millennia of queenship, a truly remarkable feat of historical skill and breadth of knowledge.
By:  
Imprint:   BONNIER
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 244mm,  Width: 164mm,  Spine: 37mm
Weight:   650g
ISBN:   9781804441138
ISBN 10:   1804441139
Pages:   352
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming

Dr Elizabeth Norton is a historian and archaeologist. She has a degree in Archaeology and Anthropology from the University of Cambridge, another in European Archaeology from the University of Oxford, and a PhD in Early Modern British History from King's College London. She has taught History at King's College London, and lectured and tutored in Archaeology at Oxford University. She is the author of several books, including The Lives of Tudor Women and England's Queens: The Biography, the first comprehensive study of English queenship from the Roman period to the present. She appears regularly on television documentaries and has experience as a historical consultant for both film and tv.

Reviews for Women Who Ruled the World: 5000 Years of Female Monarchy

A gripping and beautifully crafted book that skilfully interweaves the stories of female rulers who on the face of it have little but their sex in common. As well as introducing the reader to lesser-known characters from history, it brings a fresh perspective on famous figures such as Cleopatra and Elizabeth I. There is a striking contemporary resonance throughout, making even the long distant past seem within touching distance. An astonishing achievement. -- Tracy Borman, historian and author of Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I This book is a tour de force, an engaging and indeed breath-taking history of female sovereignty. For a history book based on impressive academic research, it's a compelling page-turner packed with fascinating detail and shrewd analysis - a must for anyone interested in queens and queenship. The international perspective works brilliantly, as do the comparisons between female rulers who were worlds apart. Thought-provoking and elegantly written, this book places Elizabeth Norton deservedly among our finest female historians. Highly recommended! -- Alison Weir - author of The Six Tudor Queens An epic history of female monarchy across the globe, filled with fascinating figures from history. I loved it. -- Gareth Russell, author of Queen James Women Who Ruled the World is a much-needed book which demonstrates that female rule is a phenomenon which spans all periods of history and regions of the globe. The ruling women featured in this book offer the reader an understanding of the challenges that female rulers faced and the ways in which they triumphed over them through the engaging examples of their lives and reigns. -- Elena Woodacre Reader in Renaissance History at the University of Winchester and author of The Queens Regnant of Navarre Dr Elizabeth Norton has a rare talent for combining impeccable scholarship with superb storytelling. In this original and utterly fascinating study of female power across centuries and continents, she excels herself. -- Meilita Thomas, author of The King's Pearl: Henry VIII and his Daughter Mary and editor at the Tudor Times


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