A concise overview of the role of queens, empresses, and other royal women from the ancient and classical period through to nearly the present day on every continent, engaging with current themes and theories of queenship and directions for future research.

Elena Woodacre ============== Elena Woodacre is Reader in Renaissance History at the University of Winchester, UK. She is a specialist in queenship and royal studies and has published extensively in this area. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Royal Studies Journal, the series editor for several book series in this field, the organizer of the Kings & Queens conference series, and the founder of the Royal Studies Network.