She Wolves: England's Early Queens

SHE WOLVES:

Men ruled women didn't. A phrase that was believed practiced, and very much true for England’s kings that ruled during the medieval years. There was an order according to God, that was men and then women and that meant that women could not be the rulers of England. Until some women who became the Queens of England challenged that belief, then started to rule over the land during a time when an act like this could get them killed. These women provoked the people and Kings of England as they challenged the role of male power at the throne.

ENGLANDS EARLY QUEENS:

I must confess I don't know anything about the rulers of England during those early years so getting to watch this documentary about some of the women who did rule was already starting off interesting. She Wolves is a documentary about 7 queens, Matilda, Eleanor, Isabella, Margaret, Jane, Mary, and Elizabeth who became powerful women in an age that believed women shouldn't and didn't have any power. They were strong, they were smart, and they did have power over the lands and people, and because of this they got the title of She-Wolves. It's a harsh title to be given but considering that the time these women did rule I'm more surprised that it wasn't a worse one.

Hosted and told by Historian Dr. Helen Castor, I was drawn into this documentary about these 7 women who felt like they had something to offer to England. Some of the stories are a little sordid with the marriages, who they married, and why they where married but it's all interesting. There's a lot of information being given in this documentary, though even with not knowing anything about these women I'd feel safe to say that it's not the complete story. At times I felt like the information that was being given was a little too much too quickly. Dr. Helen Castor is a good presenter and keeps the topic interesting but given the time restraints some of it washed over me without sticking into my mind. It's definitely one of those that I will have to watch again to get the full scope of what's being told on the DVD.

I would have liked there to either been more time given on each of the women or less information given. Having it be a 2 disc or 3 disc set where Dr. Helen Castor had 7 episodes to talk about each of the 7 queens would have given me more time to grasp what was being said. But if there had been a little less information given, I would have been able to retain and focus more on what I had just heard instead of trying to stay caught up with which Queen did what. Still, it's informative, it's entertaining, and I was able to get an idea of what kind of acts where done during those times. However, if you still have the urge to know more and you don’t feel like watching She-Wolves again, well then just read the booklet that’s included. It’s a 16 page (though really it’s 13 page) viewer’s guide that serves as a cheat sheet in a way with the information given in it. This little book served me well and was just enough information where I read it quickly without it turning into a history lesson.