Queen Regents of England: Warrior Queens, Scholars, and Stateswomen

Queen regents of England were more than just royal placeholders—they were powerful women who governed the kingdom in times of crisis, military campaigns, and political upheaval. During the reign of Henry VIII, two such women, Katherine of Aragon and Katherine Parr, were entrusted with the authority to rule England in the king’s absence. Acting as true regents—not figureheads—they made military decisions, issued royal proclamations, and maintained control over state affairs.

Let’s explore the remarkable stories of these queen regents, comparing their leadership styles and highlighting their crucial roles in Tudor governance. From battlefield victories to navigating dangerous court politics, these queens redefined what it meant to wield power in a male-dominated monarchy.

Transcript of When Women Ruled: Queen Regents of England: From Eleanor of Aquitaine to Katherine Parr

Today, we are going to talk about that time Katherine Parr ruled England when Henry was away in France—and about regents in general. So, Queen Regents—because Katherine of Aragon also ruled when Henry was in France and had a stellar military victory at the time as well with the Battle of Flodden. We’ll get into when the two Katherines were regents and talk about the differences between the two and other related topics.

Picture this: Henry VIII is off to France, decked out in golden armor, dreaming of conquest and glory—another corpus, if you will. But back in England, it’s not a council of dukes or earls running things—it’s his wife. Twice during his reign, Henry left his queen in charge of the kingdom—not just as a figurehead, but as an actual regent, issuing orders, raising troops, and managing the business of ruling the country.

So today, we’re going to talk about two Queen Regents: Katherine of Aragon and Katherine Parr. They were very different women, but both were trusted with the highest authority a Tudor queen could wield.

Henry VIII fancied himself a warrior king, right in the tradition of Henry V. He dreamed of continuing the Hundred Years’ War and returning England to its glory days—Cressy, Agincourt, and all of that. So, when the opportunity came to fight France, as it did in both 1513 and 1544, he grabbed his armor and headed off to Calais. But someone had to keep England running—and not just symbolically.

There was the constant threat of Scottish invasion in the north, rebellions at home, and rival courtiers jockeying for power. In both cases, Henry turned to his wife—not to a council, not to a duke or nobleman—but to the queen. And these weren’t just ceremonial appointments. The title of regent actually meant wielding real authority in Henry’s absence.

Both Katherines issued royal proclamations under the Great Seal, maintained correspondence with foreign ambassadors, and had the final say in matters of state. It was one of the few times under Henry’s reign—and in early Tudor history—when women held that kind of power.

Of course, later we would see reigning queens themselves: Mary I, Elizabeth I. But under Henry, for the first time, we saw powerful Queen Regents—women wielding power not behind the scenes, but right out in the open.

Now, a couple of examples before we get started of other Queen Regents in English history. One very famous one was Matilda of Scotland. She was the wife of Henry I in the early 12th century. She was the daughter of Malcolm III and St. Margaret of Wessex. She was highly educated and deeply involved in government. When Henry I went to Normandy, she acted as regent. Chroniclers described her presiding over the courts and issuing writs. In practice, she often governed England during Henry’s absence, though not always with the formal title of regent.

There was also, very famously, Eleanor of Aquitaine—legendary in her own right. She was named regent multiple times during Henry II’s campaigns in France. She held enormous power in both England and Aquitaine, issued charters, managed royal business, and oversaw governance. She even served as regent for her son, Richard I, when he was on crusade.

During that time, she also raised ransom money for Richard when he was captured after the crusade. That regency was much more formal, and she was often referred to in contemporary documents as holding regal authority.

Another very famous queen regent was Isabella of France. Now, this was more complicated. She was the wife of Edward II and famously led a rebellion against her husband. She then ruled England as regent for her son, Edward III, from 1327 to 1330, alongside her lover, Roger Mortimer. Although she wasn’t named regent in a formal legal sense, she absolutely held the reins of power and controlled royal policy and government during her son’s minority.

Of course, Edward later took power and became an incredibly strong king in his own right, but Isabella was a regent for a time following the rebellion against her husband. So that one’s a bit more complicated—she wasn’t named and trusted by her husband; she actually overthrew him.

Those are some examples of queen regents in English history leading up to Henry VIII. But Henry is kind of unique. This is something that often gets lost in the larger story of Henry and his six wives and his tyranny and narcissism—but he actually liked strong, powerful women. When you look at his wives and the women he was attracted to, he consistently sought out intelligent women, and he trusted his wives more than many other kings of the time did.

The first time this was evident was in 1513, when Henry invaded France and named Katherine of Aragon as regent. She rose to the occasion with dramatic flair. Of course, she was the daughter of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon—the warrior monarchs of Spain who led the Reconquista and ultimately expelled the Moors, reclaiming Spain after centuries of conflict. So, she had this warrior mother to look up to, and she totally embraced that legacy.

That summer, England was invaded by Scotland. James IV saw his chance while Henry was away and marched south with a massive army. Katherine was six months pregnant and dressed in armor. She rallied troops in the north, personally oversaw military logistics, sent urgent dispatches, coordinated defenses, and even threatened one bishop who was dragging his feet in raising troops. While she didn’t physically lead the troops into battle herself, she was very much involved in the campaign.

That led to the Battle of Flodden, which was a crushing English victory. James IV was killed, along with much of the Scottish nobility. Katherine wrote triumphantly to Henry and sent him part of the Scottish king’s bloodied coat as a trophy. She supposedly wanted to send the body itself, but it was deemed a bit too grotesque.

She wasn’t just filling in—she was ruling in the mold of her mother, Isabella, who had physically led armies herself. Katherine of Aragon’s regency wasn’t passive. It was active, hands-on, and laced with martial pride.

Then let’s talk about Katherine Parr. Fast forward to 1544: Henry was older, more paranoid, more murderous—and once again, he set off for France, this time to besiege Boulogne. He left Katherine Parr in charge, but by now, the stakes were different. The political climate was more dangerous. Katherine had to walk a far tighter line.

She wasn’t just Henry’s sixth wife—she was also his nurse, his companion, and his political ally. He trusted her enough to name her regent, and she accepted the role with care. While Katherine of Aragon marched troops and sent bloody trophies, Katherine Parr governed through council meetings, legal decrees, and diplomatic correspondence. She worked closely with Thomas Cranmer and senior officials to keep the machinery of government stable.

She also had to navigate the increasingly tense religious divide at court—keeping reformist allies close while avoiding the wrath of conservative factions who wanted her gone. Of course, this is the period when Stephen Gardiner was trying to have her arrested (he also tried to have Thomas Cranmer arrested), so it was a particularly tricky time for her. She didn’t command armies, but she survived the court intrigue, the plots, and the whispers against her—which, frankly, in 1544, might have been even more impressive.

So, Katherine of Aragon ruled like a warrior queen—trained from birth to be a ruler, proud of her bloodline, and ready to make war if needed. Katherine Parr, by contrast, was a scholar, a stepmother, a reformist. She ruled with precision, intellect, and emotional intelligence.

Both regents held power, but their styles could not have been more different. One fought enemies at the border; the other outmaneuvered them in council meetings. And while Katherine of Aragon had a glorious military victory to write to Henry about, Katherine Parr managed something even more unusual and rare in Henry’s world—she ruled, and she lived to tell the tale.

We often think of Henry’s wives as tragic figures or political pawns, but twice the king trusted a queen to take the throne in all but name. They didn’t just keep the seat warm—they ruled. And in doing so, they reminded everyone: sometimes, the smartest move Henry made was leaving.

Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast, the original Tudor history podcast, started in 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. In 2019 she created Tudorcon, which is now a yearly event, in addition to writing books, and running TudorFair.com - a whimsical Tudor Merch shop.

She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 30 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history (how exciting when she got to interview Alison for the first time!). In addition to history, she is passionate about travel, and has lived in 3 countries and 4 states (not counting her perpetual state of confusion), and her family (who help her host her YouTube channel occasionally).

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