ABSTRACT

This article examines the diplomatic activities of four royal women related to the kings of England and France in the late thirteenth century, during a period of heightened tension in Anglo-French relations. Elite medieval women probably regularly worked in diplomacy between their natal, marital and extended kin, but it is rare that it can be demonstrated in detail. In this example, substantial evidence shows how Marguerite of Provence, Marie of Brabant, Jeanne of Navarre and Blanche of Artois, worked in close collaboration with their male relations and took initiative in negotiating treaties, sharing intelligence, and acting as brokers of favour. That these efforts failed with dramatic consequences probably explains both the richness of extant evidence about the case, and its dismissive treatment by contemporaries and modern historians alike. Instead, it is argued that women's intra-familial diplomacy remained valued by kings and popes, and, indeed, reflected standard diplomatic practice of the time.

摘要

本文考察了 13 世纪后期英法关系高度紧张的四位与英法国王有关的王室女性的外交活动。中世纪的精英女性可能经常在他们的出生、婚姻和扩展亲属之间进行外交工作，但很少能详细展示。在这个例子中，大量证据表明普罗旺斯的玛格丽特、布拉班特的玛丽、纳瓦拉的珍妮和阿图瓦的布兰奇如何与他们的男性亲属密切合作，并在谈判条约、分享情报和充当人情经纪人方面采取主动。这些努力失败并产生了戏剧性的后果，这可能解释了有关此案的现有证据的丰富性，以及同时代和现代历史学家对其的不屑一顾。