Most powerful Regent of France

[Bast]

Although Salic Law excluded women from inheriting the throne in France ( ), there have been many examples of women who became "the power behind the throne" through Regencies of their sons and/or husbands who were away. The best examples are listed above. Arguably they held more power than most of the Kings who ruled officially and were very influential in state politics.

What do you think?

 

[Kraznaya]

How can you have a "most powerful" when none of them had any power?

 

[gangleri2001]

All regents suck when compared to Richelieu the Great (even though he wasn't)!

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Moderator Action: Moved to WH.

 

[Ajidica]

Wasn't Cardinal Richelieu a regent during the 30 Years War?
If not, Catherine de Medici. Only she can fail so bad as to start St. Bartholomews Day Massacres while attempting to marry a person who would stop the religous tensions.

 

[nonconformist]

Medici for giving us the new year on 1st January.

 

[LightSpectra]

What's this? A Bast topic that's not about English women he thinks had a hilarious amount of power they didn't, but rather about French women he thinks had a hilarious amount of power they didn't?

No French regent in history has accomplished anything of note, though if you want to get into technicalities, I believe St. Louis IX's wife lead the Seventh Crusade after Louis was captured for something like a few weeks. (This is going from memory, so I might have this completely wrong.)

 

[rollo1066]

Of those listed Catherine had the greatest impact. Blanche of Castile would be an alternative choice. She was regent for her son St. Louis.

 

[Karalysia]

Chevaliar d' Eon

 

[Lord Baal]

No French regent ever exercised any real power, and there were more of them than Bast has in this ridiculous poll. Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin both dwarfed these women in power and influence also, despite not being regents.

 

[Masada]

If not, Catherine de Medici. Only she can fail so bad as to start St. Bartholomews Day Massacres while attempting to marry a person who would stop the religous tensions.

That was likely deliberate policy on her part which makes it even worse.

 

[Ajidica]

I'm not good on my French Religous Wars history, but wasn't she trying to marry Henry of Navarre?

 

[Karalysia]

Richard the Lionheart was the only worthwhile person to come from France.

 

[sydhe]

Blanche of Castile over those four.

 

[LightSpectra]

Also, I'd like to say that I'm a big fan of St. Jeanne d'Arc, and I find it tragic that Bast pays no attention to her because he's always hyping about women being "powers behind the throne" in England and France, when they never were.

 

[Ajidica]

Wasn't Joan of Arc massivly hyped up by french nationalists though? I only remember her serving as sort of a rallying point. A downside is that she got burned at the stake for being a hetetic for being a super devout catholic.

 

[LightSpectra]

Wasn't Joan of Arc massivly hyped up by french nationalists though?

Yes, so?

I only remember her serving as sort of a rallying point.

She had an acute sense of tactical solutions, how to inspire troops and knew almost instinctively where the English were concentrating the majority of their forces. Very few credible historians take the position that she was simply some figurehead for the French.

 

[Ajidica]

Well, if you feel that the regents were hyped by Bast are disqualified because they are over hyped, why should Joan of Arc be counted even though she was over hyped?

 

[LightSpectra]

Well, if you feel that the regents were hyped by Bast are disqualified because they are over hyped, why should Joan of Arc be counted even though she was over hyped?

They're not disqualified, they're just not who Bast thinks they were, unlike Jeanne.

 

[Bast]

Yes, so?



She had an acute sense of tactical solutions, how to inspire troops and knew almost instinctively where the English were concentrating the majority of their forces. Very few credible historians take the position that she was simply some figurehead for the French.

Do you know what a Regent is? Clearly Jeanne d'Arc was NOT a regent.