Rulers, ruled by Women

Lewis, Jone Johnson. (2025, April 1). Women Rulers of the Ancient and Classical World. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/ancient-women-rulers-3528391

Though most rulers in the ancient world were men, some women wielded power and influence as well. These women ruled in their own names, and some even influenced their society as royal consorts. The ancient world's most powerful women leaders hailed from countries across the globe, including China, Egypt, and Greece.

Artemisia: Woman Ruler of Halicarnassas

When Xerxes went to war against Greece (480-479 B.C.E.), Artemisia, ruler of Halicarnassus, brought five ships and helped Xerxes defeat the Greeks in the naval battle of Salamis. She was named for the goddess Artemisia, but Herodotus, born during her time of rule, is the source of this story. Artemisia of Halicarnassus later erected a mausoleum that was known as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

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Boudicca (Boadicea): Woman Ruler of the Iceni

Boudicca is an iconic hero of British history. Queen of the Iceni, a tribe in East England, she led a rebellion against Roman occupation in about 60 C.E. Her story became popular during the reign of another English queen who headed an army against foreign invasion, Queen Elizabeth I.

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Cartimandua: Woman Ruler of the Brigantes

Queen of the Brigantes, Cartimandua signed a peace treaty with the invading Romans and ruled as a client of Rome. Then she dumped her husband, and even Rome couldn't keep her in power. Because the Romans ultimately took direct control, however, her ex didn't win either. 

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Cleopatra: Woman Ruler of Egypt

Cleopatra was both the last Pharaoh of Egypt and the last of the Ptolemy dynasty of Egyptian rulers. As she tried to maintain power for her dynasty, she made famous connections with Roman rulers Julius Caesar and Marc Antony.

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Cleopatra Thea: Woman Ruler of Syria

A number of queens in antiquity bore the name Cleopatra. This Cleopatra, Cleopatra Thea, was less well known than her namesake. The daughter of Ptolemy VI Philometor of Egypt, she was a Syrian queen who exercised power after her husband's death and before her son's rise to power.

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Elen Luyddog: Woman Ruler of Wales

A shadowy legendary figure, Elen Luyddog has been described as a Celtic princess married to a Roman soldier, who later became the Western Emperor. When her husband was executed after failing to invade Italy, she returned to Britain and helped spread Christianity. She also inspired the building of many roads.

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Hatshepsut: Woman Ruler of Egypt

Hatshepsut was born about 3500 years ago, and when her husband died and his son was young, she assumed the full kingship of Egypt. She even dressed in male clothing to reinforce her claim to be Pharaoh. 

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Lei-tzu (Lei Zu, Si Ling-chi): Woman Ruler of China

The Chinese have historically credited Huang Di as being the founder of both China and of religious Taoism. He also created humanity and invented the raising of silkworms and spinning of silk thread, according to Chinese tradition. Meanwhile, his wife, Lei-tzu, discovered the making of silk.

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Meryt-Neith: Woman Ruler of Egypt

The third ruler of the first Egyptian dynasty united upper and lower Egypt. Known only by name, there are also objects linked to this individual, including a tomb and a carved funeral monument. But many scholars believe that this ruler was a woman. Unfortunately, we don't know much about her life or her reign.

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Nefertiti: Woman Ruler of Egypt

Chief wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV who took the name Akhenaten, Nefertiti is portrayed in Egyptian art and may have ruled after her husband's death. The famous bust of Nefertiti is sometimes considered a classic representation of female beauty.

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Olympias: Woman Ruler of Macedonia

Olympias was the wife of Philip II of Macedonia, and the mother of Alexander the Great. She had a reputation as both sacred (a snake handler in a mystery cult) and violent. After Alexander's death, she seized power as regent for Alexander's posthumous son and had many of her enemies killed. But she didn't rule for long.

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Semiramis (Sammu-Ramat): Woman Ruler of Assyria

Legendary warrior queen of Assyria, Semiramis is credited with building a new Babylon as well as a conquest of neighboring states. We know her from works by Herodotus, Ctesias, Diodorus of Sicily, and Latin historians Justin and Ammianus Macellinus. Her name appears in many inscriptions in Assyria and Mesopotamia.

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Zenobia: Woman Ruler of Palmyra

Zenobia, of Aramean descent, claimed Cleopatra as her ancestor. She took power as queen of the desert kingdom of Palmyra when her husband died. This warrior queen conquered Egypt, defied the Romans, and rode into battle against them, but she was eventually defeated and taken prisoner. She's also depicted on a coin of her time.

or almost all of written history, almost all times and places, men have held most of the top ruling positions. For a variety of reasons, there have been exceptions, a few women who held great power. Certainly a small number if you compare to the number of male rulers during that time. Most of these women held power only because of their family connection to male heirs or the unavailability in their generation of any eligible male heir. Nevertheless, they managed to be the exceptional few.

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Hatshepsut

Long before Cleopatra reigned over Egypt, another woman held the reins of power: Hatshepsut. We know her mainly through the major temple built in her honor, which her successor and stepson defaced to try to erase her reign from memory.

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Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt

Cleopatra was the last Pharaoh of Egypt, and the last of the Ptolemy dynasty of Egyptian rulers. As she tried to keep power for her dynasty, she made famous (or infamous) connections with Roman rulers Julius Caesar and Marc Antony.

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Empress Theodora

Theodora, Empress of Byzantium from 527-548, was probably the most influential and powerful woman in the empire's history.

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Amalasuntha

A real Queen of the Goths, Amalasuntha was Regent Queen of the Ostrogoths; her murder became the rationale for Justinian's invasion of Italy and defeat of the Goths. Unfortunately, we have only a few very biased sources for her life.

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Empress Suiko

Although the legendary rulers of Japan, before written history, were said to be empresses, Suiko is the first empress in recorded history to rule Japan. During her reign, Buddhism was officially promoted, Chinese and Korean influence increased, and, according to tradition, a 17-article constitution was adopted.

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Olga of Russia

A cruel and revengeful ruler as regent for her son, Olga was named the first Russian saint in the Orthodox Church for her efforts in converting the nation to Christianity.

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Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor ruled Aquitaine in her own right and occasionally served as regent when her husbands (first the King of France and then the King of England) or sons (kings of England Richard and John) were out of the country.

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Isabella, Queen of Castile and Aragon (Spain)

Isabella ruled Castile and Aragon jointly with her husband, Ferdinand. She's famous for supporting Columbus' voyage; she's also credited for her part in expelling the Muslims from Spain, expelling the Jews, instituting the Inquisition in Spain, insisting that the Indigenous peoples be treated as persons, and her patronage of arts and education.

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Mary I of England

This granddaughter of Isabella of Castile and Aragon was the first woman to be crowned Queen in her own right in England. (Lady Jane Grey had a short rule just before Mary I, as Protestants tried to avoid having a Catholic monarch, and Empress Matilda attempted to win the crown that her father had left to her and her cousin usurped -- but neither of these women made it to a coronation.) Mary's notorious but not lengthy reign saw religious controversy as she tried to reverse her father's and brother's religious reforms. On her death, the crown passed to her half-sister, Elizabeth I.

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Elizabeth I of England

Queen Elizabeth I of England is one of the most fascinating women of history. Elizabeth I was able to rule when her long-before predecessor, Matilda, had not been able to secure the throne. Was it her personality? Was it that the times had changed, following such personalities as Queen Isabella?

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Catherine the Great

During her reign, Catherine II of Russia modernized and westernized Russia, promoted education, and expanded Russia's borders. And that story about the horse? A myth.

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Queen Victoria

Alexandrina Victoria was the only child of the fourth son of King George III, and when her uncle William IV died childless in 1837, she became Queen of Great Britain. She's known for her marriage to Prince Albert, her traditional ideas on the roles of wife and mother, which often conflicted with her actual exercise of power, and for her waxing and waning popularity and influence.

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Cixi (or Tz'u-hsi or Hsiao-ch'in)

The last Dowager Empress of China: however you spell her name, she was one of the most powerful women in the world in her own time— or, perhaps, in all of history.

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The rulers of ancient Egypt, the pharaohs, were almost all men. However, there were powerful female pharaohs of Egypt—including Cleopatra VII and Nefertiti—who are still remembered today. Other women ruled as well, although the historical record for some of them is scant at best, especially for the first dynasties that ruled Egypt. 

The following list of female pharaohs of Egypt is in reverse chronological order. It begins with the last pharaoh to rule an independent Egypt, Cleopatra VII, and ends with Meryt-Neith, who 5,000 years ago was probably one of the first women to rule.

Cleopatra VII (69–30 B.C.E.)

Cleopatra VII, the daughter of Ptolemy XII, became a female pharaoh of Egypt when she was about 17 years old, first serving as co-regent with her brother Ptolemy XIII, who was only 10 at the time. The Ptolemies were descendants of a Macedonian general of Alexander the Great's army. During the Ptolemaic dynasty, several other women named Cleopatra served as regents.

Acting in the name of Ptolemy, a group of senior advisers ousted Cleopatra from power, and she was forced to flee the country in 49 B.C. But she was determined to regain the post. She raised an army of mercenaries and sought the backing of Roman leader Julius Caesar. With Rome's military might, Cleopatra vanquished her brother's forces and regained control of Egypt. 

Cleopatra and Julius Caesar became romantically involved, and she bore him a son. Later, after Caesar was murdered in Italy, Cleopatra aligned herself with his successor, Marc Antony. Cleopatra continued to rule Egypt until Antony was overthrown by rivals in Rome. Following a brutal military defeat, the two killed themselves, and Egypt fell to Roman rule.

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Cleopatra I (204–176 B.C.E.)

Cleopatra I was the consort of Ptolemy V Epiphanes of Egypt. Her father was Antiochus III the Great, a Greek Seleucid king, who conquered a large swath of Asia Minor (in present-day Turkey) that had previously been under Egyptian control. In a bid to make peace with Egypt, Antiochus III offered his 10-year-old daughter, Cleopatra, in marriage to Ptolemy V, the 16-year-old Egyptian ruler.

They were married in 193 B.C. and Ptolemy appointed her as vizier in 187. Ptolemy V died in 180 B.C., and Cleopatra I was appointed regent for her son, Ptolemy VI, and ruled until her death. She even minted coins with her image, with her name taking precedence over that of her son. Her name preceded that of her son in many of the documents between her husband's death and 176 B.C., the year that she died.

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Tausret (Died 1189 B.C.E.)

Tausret (also known as Twosret, Tausret, or Tawosret) was the wife of the pharaoh Seti II. When Seti II died, Tausret served as regent for his son, Siptah (aka Rameses-Siptah or Menenptah Siptah). Siptah was likely the son of Seti II by a different wife, making Tausret his stepmother. There is some indication that Siptal may have had some disability, which perhaps was a contributing factor to his death at age 16.

After Siptal's death, historical records indicate that Tausret served as female pharaoh of Egypt for two to four years, using kingly titles for herself. Tausret is mentioned by Homer as interacting with Helen around the Trojan War events. After Tausret died, Egypt fell into political turmoil; at some point, her name and image were stripped from her tomb. Today, a mummy at the Cairo Museum is said to be hers.

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Nefertiti (1370–1330 B.C.E.)

Nefertiti ruled Egypt after the death of her husband, Amenhotep IV. Little of her biography has been preserved; she may have been the daughter of Egyptian nobles or have had Syrian roots. Her name means "a beautiful woman has come," and in the art from her era, Nefertiti is often depicted in romantic poses with Amenhotep or as his co-equal in battle and leadership.

However, Nefertiti vanished from historical records within a few years of assuming the throne. Scholars say she may have assumed a new identity or may have been killed, but those are only educated guesses. Despite the lack of biographical information about Nefertiti, a sculpture of her is one of the most widely reproduced ancient Egyptian artifacts. The original is on display at Berlin's Neues Museum.

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Hatshepsut (1507–1458 B.C.E.)

Widow of Thutmosis II, Hatshepsut ruled first as regent for his young stepson and heir, and then as pharaoh. Sometimes referred to as Maatkare or the "king" of Upper and Lower Egypt, Hatshepsut is often depicted in a fake beard and with the objects that a pharaoh is usually depicted with, and in male attire, after a few years of ruling in female form. She disappears suddenly from history, and her stepson may have ordered the destruction of images of Hatshepsut and mentions of her rule.

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Ahmose-Nefertari (1562–1495 B.C.E.)

Ahmose-Nefertari was the wife and sister of the 18th Dynasty's founder, Ahmose I, and mother of the second king, Amenhotep I. Her daughter, Ahmose-Meritamon, was the wife of Amenhotep I.  Ahmose-Nefertari has a statue at Karnak, which her grandson Thuthmosis sponsored. She was the first female pharaoh of Egypt to hold the title of "God's Wife of Amun." Ahmose-Nefertari is often depicted with dark brown or black skin. Scholars disagree on whether this portrayal is about African ancestry or a symbol of fertility.

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Ashotep (1560–1530 B.C.E.)

Scholars have little historical record of Ashotep. She is thought to have been the mother of Ahmose I, the founder of Egypt's 18th Dynasty and New Kingdom, who defeated the Hyksos (foreign rulers of Egypt). Ahmose I credited her in an inscription with holding the nation together during his rule as a child pharaoh when she seems to have been regent for her son. She may also have led troops in battle at Thebes, but the evidence is scant.

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Sobeknefru (Died 1802 B.C.E.)

Sobeknefru (aka Neferusobek, Nefrusobek, or Sebek-Nefru-Meryetre) was the daughter of Amenemhet III and half-sister of Amenemhet IV— and perhaps also his wife. She claimed to have been co-regent with her father. The dynasty ends with her reign, as she apparently had no son. Archaeologists have found images that refer to Sobeknefru as Female Horus, King of Upper and Lower Egypt, and Daughter of Re.

Only a few artifacts have been positively linked to Sobeknefru, including many headless statues that depict her in female clothing but wearing male objects related to kingship. In some ancient texts, she is sometimes referred to in terms using the male gender, perhaps to reinforce her role as pharaoh.

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Neithhikret (Died 2181 B.C.E.)

Neithhikret (aka Nitocris, Neith-Iquerti, or Nitokerty) is known only through the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. If she existed, she lived at the end of the dynasty, may have been married to a husband who was not royal and may not even have been a king, and probably had no male offspring. She may have been the daughter of Pepi II. According to Herodotus, she is said to have succeeded her brother Metesouphis II upon his death, and then to have avenged his death by drowning his murderers and committing suicide.

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Ankhesenpepi II (Sixth Dynasty, 2345–2181 B.C.E.)

Little biographical information is known about Ankhesenpepi II, including when she was born and when she died. Sometimes referred to as Ankh-Meri-Ra or Ankhnesmeryre II, she may have served as regent for her son, Pepi II, who was about six when he assumed the throne after Pepi I (her husband, his father) died. A statue of Ankhnesmeryre II as nurturing mother, holding the hand of her child, is on display at the Brooklyn Museum. 

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Khentkaus (Fourth Dynasty, 2613–2494 B.C.E.)

According to archaeologists, Khentkaus has been characterized in inscriptions as the mother of two Egyptian pharaohs, probably Sahure and Neferirke of the Fifth Dynasty. There is some evidence that she may have served as regent for her young sons or perhaps ruled Egypt herself for a brief time. Other records suggest she was married either to the ruler Shepseskhaf of the Fourth Dynasty or to Userkaf of the Fifth Dynasty. However, the nature of records from this period in ancient Egyptian history is so fragmentary as to make confirming her biography impossible.

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Nimaethap (Third Dynasty, 2686–2613 B.C.E.)

Ancient Egyptian records refer to Nimaethap (or Ni-Maat-Heb) as the mother of Djoser. He was probably the second king of the Third Dynasty, the period during which the upper and lower kingdoms of ancient Egypt were unified. Djoser is best known as the builder of the step pyramid at Saqqara. Little is known about Nimaethap, but records indicate that she may briefly have been a female pharaoh of Egypt, perhaps while Djoser was still a child.

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Meryt-Neith (First Dynasty, approx. 3200–2910 B.C.E.)

Meryt-Neith (aka Merytneith or Merneith) was the wife of Djet, who ruled around 3000 B.C. She was laid to rest in the tombs of other First Dynasty pharaohs, and her burial site contained artifacts usually reserved for kings—including a boat to travel to the next world—and her name is found on seals listing the names of other First Dynasty pharaohs. However, some seals refer to Meryt-Neith as the mother of the king, while others imply that she herself was a ruler of Egypt. The dates of her birth and death are unknown.

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An index to biographies of notable women who lived about 500 through about 1600 -- including the Middle Ages, the European Renaissance and the Tudor period in British history.

A

• Adelaide (931 - 999): saint, Western empress, regent
• Aelfgifu (~ 985 - 1002?): first wife of King Aethelred II "the Unready"
• Aelfled: same as Aethelflaed below
• Aelfthryth (877 - 929): princess, countess, genealogical link of Anglo Saxon kings to Anglo Norman dynasty, daughter of Alfred the Great
• Aelfthryth  (945 - 1000): English Saxon queen, married to King Edgar "the Peaceable" and the mother of King 
• Aethelflaed (872-879? - 918): defeated the Danes at Leicester and Derby, invading Wales
• Amalasuntha (498 - 535): ruler of the Ostrogoths, first as regent for her son
• Amina, Queen of Zazzau (~ 1533 - ~ 1600): warrior queen, extended territory of her people
• Andal (10th century): Alvar saint, Tamil devotional poet, daughter of Periyalvar
• Margaret of Anjou (1429 - 1482): Queen Consort of Henry VI of England, figure in the Wars of the Roses and the Hundred Years' War, character in four plays by William Shakespeare
• Anna of Kiev (963 - 1011): married to Vladimir I "the Great" of Kiev; her marriage was the occasion of the conversion of Vladimir to Christianity and thus the Christianization of Russia
• Anna Comnena (1083 - 1148): Byzantine princess, political figure, historian, medical writer
• Anne Neville (1456 - 1485): wife of Edward, Prince of Wales, son of Henry VI; wife of Richard of Gloucester, and, when he became King Richard III, Anne became Queen of England
• Anne of Cleves (1515? - 1557): married to and divorced from Henry VIII of England

B

• Berengaria of Navarre (1163? 1165? - 1230): queen consort of Richard I of England 
• Berenguela of Castile (1180 - 1246): briefly, queen of Leon; regent of Castile for her brother Enrique I
• Brunhilde (~ 545 - 613): Queen of the Franks, Queen of Austrasia, regent

C

• Catherine of Siena (1347 - 1380): patron saint of Italy, credited with persuading the Pope to return the papacy from Avignon to Rome; one of two women who were named Doctors of the Church in 1970
• Catherine of Valois (1401 - 1437): wife of Henry V of England, mother of Henry VI, grandmother of Henry VII the first Tudor king, also the daughter of a king
• Cecily Neville, Duchess of York (1415 - 1495): figure in the Wars of the Roses in medieval England, mother of King Edward IV and King Richard III, grandmother of Elizabeth of York who married Henry VII
• Clare of Assisi (1193/4 - 1253) founded the Poor Clares, a Franciscan order for women
• Anna Comnena (1083 - 1148): Byzantine princess, political figure, historian, medical writer

D

• Isabella d'Este (1474 - 1539): Marchioness ( Marchessa) of Mantua, ruler, art collector and patron; actively involved in political intrigues
• Margaret Douglas (1515 - 1578): grandmother of James VI of Scotland who became James I of England, niece of Henry VIII, plotted on behalf of Roman Catholicism in England

E

• Edith of Wilton (961 - 984): nun at Wilton, illegitimate daughter of Edgar the Peaceable, reportedly offered the crown of England by nobles
• Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122 - 1204): ruler in her own right of Aquitaine, queen consort in France then queen consort in England and queen mother in England
• Eleanor of England (1215 - 1275): daughter of King John of England and wife of Simon de Montfort
• Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile (1162 - 1214): queen consort of Alfonso VIII of Castile, daughter of Henry II of England
• Elfreda or Elfrida or Elfgiva (~ 985 - 1002?): first wife of King Aethelred II "the Unready"
• Elfthryth (945 - 1000): English Saxon queen, married to King Edgar "the Peaceable" and the mother of King 
• Elizabeth I of England (1533 - 1603): queen of England 1558 - 1603
• Elizabeth Woodville (~ 1437 - 1492): queen consort of Edward IV, mother of Edward V, mother of Elizabeth of York
• Elizabeth of York (1466 - 1503): daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, queen consort of Henry VII, mother of Henry VIII, Mary Tudor and Margaret Tudor
• Isabella d'Este (1474 - 1539): Marchioness ( Marchessa) of Mantua, ruler, art collector and patron; actively involved in political intrigues
• Ethelfleda (872-879? - 918): defeated the Danes at Leicester and Derby, invading Wales

F

• Fredegund (~ 550 - 597): consort of King Chilperic I of Soissons

G

• Beatriz Galindo (~ 1464, 1474, or 1475 - 1534): tutor, physician, writer
• Lady Godiva (~ 1010 - 1066/86): noblewoman of legendary horseback ride
• Lady Jane Grey (1537 - 1554): 9 day reign as Queen of England, briefly supplanting Mary I and Elizabeth I

H

• Hrotsvitha (~ 930 - after 973): canoness, poet, dramatist, historian

I

• Isabella I of Castile and Aragon (Isabella of Spain): Queen of Castile and Aragon
• Isabella of France (1292 - 1358): Queen consort of Edward II of England, mother of Edward III, rebelled against husband's rule and deposed him
• Isabella d'Este (1474 - 1539): Marchioness ( Marchessa) of Mantua, ruler, art collector and patron; actively involved in political intrigues

J

• Joan of England (1165 - 1199): daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II of England, Sicilian queen
• Judith of France - Judith of Flanders (about 843 - ?): married to two Saxon English kings, daughter of Charles the Bald, King of Franks and Holy Roman Emperor

K

• Katherine of Valois (1401 - 1437): wife of Henry V of England, mother of Henry VI, grandmother of Henry VII the first Tudor king, also the daughter of a king
• Margery Kempe (~ 1373 - ~ 1440): mystic, autobiographer

L

• Lady Li (before 923 - after 934): artist, painter in China
• Louise of Savoy (1476 - 1531): Duchess of Angoulême, mother of Francis I of France and Marguerite of Navarre
• Ludmilla (860 - 921): saint, instituted Christianity in Bohemia, supported and educated Duke Wenceslaus

M

• Margaret of Anjou (1429 - 1482): Queen Consort of Henry VI of England, figure in the Wars of the Roses and the Hundred Years' War, character in four plays by William Shakespeare
• Margaret of Scotland (Saint Margaret) (~ 1045 - 1093): married Malcolm III, King of Scotland
• Margaret Tudor (1489 - 1541): sister of Henry VIII of England, queen of James IV of Scotland, grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots
• Margery Kempe (~ 1373 - ~ 1440): mystic, autobiographer
• Marguerite of Navarre (Marguerite of Angoulême) (1492 - 1549): mother of Jeanne d'Albret, sister of King Francis I of France, grandmother of Henry IV of France
• Mary I of England (1516 - 1558): first queen to rule England in her own right with full coronation
• Saint Matilda of Saxony (~ 895 - 986): Queen of Germany, Empress, ancestor of Capetian dynasty, founder of monasteries, built churches, 10th century German saint
• Empress Matilda, Lady of the English (1102 - 1167): named heir of her father Henry I, fought civil war with her cousin, Stephen, when he seized the throne
• Empress Maud: see Empress Matilda above
• Mirabai (~ 1498 - 1545): saint, poet, mystic, princess, rani

O

• Olga of Russia (or Kiev) (~ 890 - 969?): founded Russian Christianity with her grandson Vladimir, regent for her son

P

• Catherine Parr (1512? - 1548): sixth wife of Henry VIII

S

• Louise of Savoy (1476 - 1531): Duchess of Angoulême, mother of Francis I of France and Marguerite of Navarre
• Sigrid the Haughty (~ 968 - before 1013 if she existed): legendary rebellious princess
• Empress Suiko (554 - 628): first reigning empress of Japan in recorded history

T

• Saint Teresa of Avila (1515 - 1582): established Discalced order of Carmelite nuns during Counter-Reformation, named Doctor of the Church in 1970
• Theodora (~497/510 - 548): married to Justinian, Emperor of Byzantium
• Trota or Trotula (? - 1097?): physician, writer, possibly legendary
• Margaret Tudor (1489 - 1541): sister of Henry VIII of England, queen of James IV of Scotland, grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots

V

• Catherine of Valois (1401 - 1437): wife of Henry V of England, mother of Henry VI, grandmother of Henry VII the first Tudor king, also the daughter of a king

W

• Elizabeth Woodville (~ 1437 - 1492): queen consort of Edward IV, mother of Edward V, mother of Elizabeth of York