Frictions and Failures

Cultural Encounters in Crisis

edited by Almut Bues

Book cover: Frictions and Failures

Extent: 229 pages

Publisher: Harrassowitz Verlag

Subjects: Cultural Studies, Early Modern & Renaissance Studies, Gender & Sexuality

Series: Deutsches Historisches Institut Warschau

Series volume number: 34

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(March 2017)

ISBN: 9783447107365

Price: $78.00

Out of stock

The conference volume focuses on those dynastic marriages which ran into difficulties of various kinds, and examines a wide range of cases. The case studies elucidate what these frictions tell us about the specific context in which they occurred, and about the problems, limitations and challenges of cultural transfer in general. The volume also considers whether success and failure are adequate and helpful terms in assessing the impact of the queen’s consort.


The conference volume Frictions and Failures: Cultural Encounters in Crisis focuses on those dynastic marriages which ran into difficulties of various kinds, and examines a wide range of cases in order to determine what caused these problems. Conflict situations could easily arise from the queen consort’s presence at her new court. These conflicts might be religious (consorts were often of a different faith from that of their husband and new country), personal (rivalries with mistresses or favorites), diplomatic, or political. The case studies elucidate what these frictions tell us a) about the specific context in which they occurred, and b) about the problems, limitations and challenges of cultural transfer in general. The volume also considers (in a broader sense) whether success and failure are adequate and helpful terms in assessing the impact of the queen’s consort. The geographical range of the territories discussed covers not only West and Central Europe but extends to Hungary, Lithuania, Muscovy, and Russia. This is particularly valuable as it helps to take orthodox consorts into consideration, as well as the elective monarchy of Poland, in which the role of the consort is, by definition, different from that of a consort in a system of dynastic succession.

  • Edited by Almut Bues