Queenly Philosophers

Subtitled 'Renaissance Women Aristocrats as Platonic Guardians', this is a fascinating study of five women who lived in England in the 16th and 17th centuries and who arguably played this role: Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, Katherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle and finally Aphra Behn. At that period, aristocracy of class was essential for access to the court, but these women also form an aristocracy of intellect. The context changes considerably between the two parts of the book, with the 16th century focus on the interface between theology and philosophy, whereas this moves to science and philosophy in the 17th century. Hence the concern in the 16th century with penitence and salvation, as exemplified in Lamentations, by Katherine Parr; she played a significant role in the upbringing of Elizabeth I, who was already translating Miroir by Marguerite of Navarre at the age of 11, and whose prayers make moving reading.

Readers come to appreciate the importance of background concerns through the influence of the work of Luther and Erasmus and the personal immediacy and unmediated relationship with God, but also the factions negotiated by Elizabeth in the transition to Protestantism. The influence of science and mechanistic materialism becomes more apparent during the 17th century, as is also the masculine ethos of the Royal Society. However, all these women were prolific in their output, which included translations and therefore considerations of rhetoric and style. The book fills in a significant gap in the history of philosophy by painting a vivid picture of the times and the writings of these pioneering women.