While the role and character of England's medieval and Tudor kings are well documented, little attention has been paid to their often powerful and influential consorts. This volume allows the queens to speak for themselves through their own correspondence, with each letter set in context and a general introduction to the role of the queen in medieval and Tudor England. Virtually every English queen from Matilda of Scotland, first wife of Henry I, to Katherine Parr, sixth wife of Henry VIII, is represented. By rescuing them from their traditional role as faceless consorts, this study shows these women as considerable political figures in their own right, and as strong, intelligent, occasionally awkward, members of society.