ABSTRACT
The responsibility of a medieval queen varied immensely depending upon many factors. As the king's wife her principal function was to provide an heir to the throne. If her relationship with her spouse was particularly intimate she might have substantial influence over him and his policies. Expected to manage the domestic affairs of the royal household, she controlled the expenditure of money and employed appropriate personnel. As a pious daughter of the Church she often displayed her piety by patronage of monasteries and convents. Widowed, she might eventually retire to the quiet of a convent. Upon her death she was usually interred by her husband's side, often in a monastery or church that they had founded.
