THE ART OF PRODUCING AN HEIR: A LOOK INTO THE LIVES OF ROYAL WIVES OF EUROPE
In terms of gender, history has always favored men.
Regardless of what period of history is under consideration, women have been
treated unfairly in virtually all cultures. Men have always been taught that
they are the superior gender, the stronger sex, the ones who should be in
control and who deserve power. The insecurity of men to shield this power and
position led to the eventual domination over women. Women have had considerably
lower agency, power and opportunities compared to men. However, the one thing
which sets apart the two genders also gives women their indispensable position
in the world; they can reproduce. Till recent times, this was central to the
identity of women. In medieval and early modern Europe, the situation wasn’t
any different.
THE NEED FOR A SUCCESSOR
The need of children was felt in all households big or small. While it meant extra hands on the farm for a poor medieval farmer, the birth of a royal child certainly had drastic implications for a nation. Royal birth was not only an occasion to celebrate but a political event which often decided the fate of dynasty. The success and failure of a monarchy and if it would survive beyond the current ruler was all riding on the fact whether the queen would be able to bring an heir into the world, more importantly a male heir. Given an ordinary, middle-class woman would have never enjoyed the luxuries of a royal wife as they possessed property, attained education, had security due to their family names and rejoiced in the grandeur of court life. But one must always remember that the exceptional pressure that noble and royal women went through to produce children, especially male successors to inherit their father’s property and title, was not experienced by anyone else.
Motherhood was absolutely central to queenship and
royal birth became a matter of national importance. Unions between royals were
sometimes based on love, sometimes on friendship but almost always were
strategic political alliances. Marriages were seen as a means to seal treaties
and strengthen relations between countries. Dynastic ambitions and the low life
expectancy resulted in the betrothing of children at very young ages, sometimes
when they were just months old. Consequently, royals were married by the age of
10 or 12 and when they were considered to be mature enough consummate their
marriage, the pressure to produce an heir began.
THE HARDSHIPS
No matter how much happiness a royal child would bring
to the parents, being pregnant and giving birth was a highly risky endeavor in
those times. The lack of understanding of the female anatomy, and the human
body is general, was blindsiding. Infertility was always seen as the woman’s
fault and was considered punishment for her sins by the church. In almost all
cultures the deity for fertility is a goddess. Isis of Egypt, Chimalma of
Aztecs, Haumea of Native Hawaiins, Banka Mundi in Hinduism and of course Virgin
Mary in Catholicism, women have always been the symbol of fertility and are
thus burdened with the responsibility.
Marie Antoinette, queen of France and the wife of
Louise XVI was constantly blamed and shamed for not being able to produce to
even after seven years of marriage. Which makes it clear why more than 200
people were gathered in her chambers to witness the birth of her son. What one
must bear in mind is that she was only 14 and Louise 15, without any actual
knowledge or guidance on how things worked!
Bringing a life into the world was filled with trials
and tribulations. It is said that many royal women started writing their wills
on discovering that they were with child due to the high rate of deaths during
child birth. Hemorrhage, infections, child bed fever and endless other
complications made child birth a deadly event. Research conducted by Rachel Pod
of Fordham University estimates that 1 out of every 20 women died during child
birth between 12th and 15th century was. Isabella of
Valois was only 19 when she lost her life during childbirth.
Thus, pregnant royal women would regularly pray to
Virgin Mary, receive communions, go on pilgrimages and vigilantly ask God for a
healthy and safe birth. Months before the delivery they were confined to their
bed chambers along with her midwives and were not to return to public life till
they were considered “clean” from the mess of childbirth.
Of course, this was all made worse due to the fact
that the female body was highly misunderstood and doctors were predominantly
men, mostly monks and celibates. In the medieval medicine book called Trotula,
it is blatantly mentioned that the female genitalia are nothing more than the
male genitalia turned upside down. The Trotula proves to be an invaluable
source because it shows how little the female body was understood. It is filled
with suggestions on how to get pregnant which are nothing close to reality. For
instance, consuming the womb of a female hare was said to help with the birth
of a girl child.
In the Renaissance times, pregnant women were given
special birth trays aka desco da parto. Recurring outbreaks of plague and their resulting
demographic catastrophes largely contributed to the Renaissance emphasis on
family and procreation. To influence a healthy birth and even the gender of the
baby, an expectant mother was encouraged to reflect on the narrative of
her desco.
The desperation of royal wives to give the nation a
prince along with some “spares” often led them to enter into a vicious cycle of
pregnancy and birth. Immediately after the birth of a child s/he was handed to
mid wives and the mothers were expected to get pregnant again as soon as
possible.
Charlotte of
Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the wife of King George III gave birth to 15 children and
understandably found it difficult to be perpetually pregnant. During her 14th
pregnancy she wrote, “I don’t think a prisoner would wish more ardently for his
liberty than I wish to be rid of my burden and see the end of my campaign. I
would be happy if I knew this was the last time”
Of course, another reason why producing an heir was so
important for queens was because their own positions were made vulnerable if
they took too long. Although, not being able to produce an heir wasn’t a
legitimate ground for annulment of marriage, many kings were able to annul
their marriage by seeking the church’s help if such was the case. The infamous
Henry VIII was so obsessed with having a son that he got married 6 times. His
first wife Catherine of Aragon suffered multiple miscarriages and stillbirths
to fulfill his wish but was only able to give him a daughter. And of course, as
a daughter wasn’t enough, their marriage was annulled, she was humiliated and
banished from court.
CONCLUSION
Without a son, a women had no standing in the court.
Her whole position was based on the fact that she would provide the king and
the nation with heirs. If women could not produce children, no matter how
capable they were, they were considered incomplete. In contemporary times,
mindsets are changing, however slowly. They are recognized as individuals with minds,
dispositions, voices and skills. Women have always possessed all these things,
if only the society was strong enough to accept them. Catherine of Aragon ruled
England and even rode to the Battle of Floddon, while Henry VIII away in France on a military
campaign, all while being pregnant. Sadly, in the quest for sons, Henry VIII lost
a strong and capable queen.
Author:
2nd Year History Hons. Student
Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi
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