Rex factus est uxorius. Weibliche und männliche Herrschaftsrollen in Outremer
Goridis, Philippe
In: Das Mittelalter, 2016, vol. 21, no. 1, p. 22-39
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- By the 1130s at the latest, women played an important role in the politics of Outremer. This was due to the belligerent crusader environment which took its toll on male crusaders. Although the proportion of queens regnant was striking, the general situation of ruling women in the Holy Land bears some resemblance to Western European regions and should thus not be seen as exceptional. The rule of women was initially looked on with scepticism and was only considered if no other (male) candidates were available. Women who exercised governmental powers were normally seen as regents by kinship for minor heirs rather than as rulers in their own right. Therefore, they were usually replaced by a male regent as soon as possible. And if they were able to act as independent rulers, they were often described in masculine terms. However, women were endowed with one important political right: the ideas of female succession to property were well established in the 12th century and female legal and ruling rights were further developed until the mid-13th century. These processes led to an enlargement of the potential range of activity of women who could assume diverse ruling functions in the 13th century. By then at the latest, female and male ruling roles and activities complemented one another and became - to a certain degree - mutually dependent. However, this did not mean that every woman with a right to rule acted as a ruler. In this regard, men still dominated the political landscape of Outremer.