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She-Wolves: England's Early Queens

Helen Castor

Lucy Swingler

Ross Wilson

Sam Anthony

She-Wolves: England's Early Queens: Episode 2: Isabella and Margaret

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Isabella and Margaret

Episode 2

Episode 2: Isabella and Margaret

BBC Four - She-Wolves: England's Early Queens, Isabella and Margaret

Helen Castor looks at the lives of Isabella of France and Margaret of Anjou.

How two French girls, a century apart, became queens of England. Isabella of France would be accused of murder and Margaret of Anjou of destructive ambition.

In the medieval and Tudor world there was no question in people's minds about the order of God's creation - men ruled and women didn't. A king was a warrior who literally fought to win power then battled to keep it. Yet despite everything that stood in their way, a handful of extraordinary women did attempt to rule medieval and Tudor England. In this series, historian Dr Helen Castor explores seven queens who challenged male power, the fierce reactions they provoked and whether the term 'she wolves' was deserved.

In 1308 a 12-year-old girl, Isabella of France, became queen of England when she married the English king. A century later another young French girl, Margaret of Anjou, followed in her footsteps. Both these women were thrust into a violent and dysfunctional England and both felt driven to take control of the kingdom themselves. Isabella would be accused of murder and Margaret of destructive ambition - it was Margaret who Shakespeare named the She Wolf. But as Helen reveals, their self-assertion that would have seemed natural in a man was deemed unnatural, even monstrous in a woman.

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Historian Dr Helen Castor explores the lives of seven English queens

Historian Dr Helen Castor explores the lives of seven English queens who challenged male power, the fierce reactions they provoked and whether the term 'she-wolves' was deserved

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She-Wolves: England's Early Queens

Episode 2: Isabella and Margaret

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