The funny thing about queenship throughout history is that it was normally seen as a perversion of the perceived order, an unjust inheritance as it were, by most men you’d care to ask, especially those in power. Primogeniture was the main vehicle of royal succession; the only time women came into the mix was when it was politically expedient, and even then, the understanding was that it would be a short-lived affair until that queen produced a male heir.

Produced and presented by Bernie Dwan.