A queen dowager or dowager queen (compare: princess dowager or dowager princess) is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...

, the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is clear from the two words from which it is composed: queen indicates someone who served as queen consort (i.e. wife of a king), while dowager indicates a woman who holds the title from her deceased husband (a queen who rules in her own right instead of due to marriage to a king is a

queen regnant A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns '' suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigni ...

). A

queen mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of ...

is a former queen, often a dowager queen, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. Currently (2019) there are four queens dowager: Kesang Choden of

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainou ...

(who is the only living queen grandmother worldwide), Norodom Monineath of

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...

(who is also queen mother), Lisa Najeeb Halaby (Noor Al'Hussein) of

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

, and

Sirikit Kitiyakara Queen Sirikit ( th, สิริกิติ์; ; ); born ''Mom Rajawongse'' Sirikit Kitiyakara ( th, สิริกิติ์ กิติยากร; ; 12 August 1932) is the queen mother of Thailand. She was Queen of Thailand as the wi ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

(who is also queen mother). Queen Ratna of Nepal was queen dowager until the abolition of the Nepalese monarchy in 2008.

Status

A queen dowager has an important royal position (whether or not she is the mother of the reigning sovereign) but does not normally have any rights to succeed a king as monarch on his death unless she happens to be next in line to the throne (one possibility would be if the king and queen were also cousins and childless, the king had no other siblings, and she in her other position as his cousin was also his heiress presumptive). A queen dowager continues to enjoy the title, style, and

precedence Precedence may refer to: * Message precedence of military communications traffic * Order of precedence, the ceremonial hierarchy within a nation or state * Order of operations, in mathematics and computer programming * Precedence Entertainment, ...

of a queen, but is no longer referred to as ''the'' queen. A new reigning king would have (at accession or eventually) a wife who would be the new queen consort and therefore ''the'' queen; and, of course, a

would also be called ''the'' queen. Many former queens consort do not formally use the word "dowager" as part of their titles. There may be more than one queen dowager at any given time. The

Garter King of Arms The Garter Principal King of Arms (also Garter King of Arms or simply Garter) is the senior King of Arms, and the senior Officer of Arms of the College of Arms, the heraldic authority with jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland. ...

's proclamation in the United Kingdom of the styles and titles of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother at her funeral on 9 April 2002 illustrates her dual status as a queen dowager and a queen mother:

Distinction from queen mother

is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the current monarch. Not every queen mother is a queen dowager, such as Queen Paola of Belgium, who became the queen mother of her son Philippe after her husband Albert II abdicated the throne but retained the title of king. Not all queens dowager are the queen mother; they may have a relation other than mother to the reigning monarch, such as aunt or grandmother. For example,

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

, was queen dowager of France after the death of her husband Francis II, to whom she bore no children. Similarly, Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen was queen dowager after her husband William IV was succeeded by his niece Victoria. Not every mother of a reigning monarch is the queen mother or a queen dowager. For example, the mother of Queen Victoria of United Kingdom,

Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld , house = , father = Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld , mother = Countess Augusta of Reuss-Ebersdorf , birth_date = , birth_place = Coburg, Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Holy Roman Empire , death_date = , death_p ...

, was not a queen dowager nor the queen mother because her husband, Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent, had never been king. Similarly, whilst being the mothers of monarchs, both

Augusta of Saxe-Gotha Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg ( – 8 February 1772) was Princess of Wales by marriage to Frederick, Prince of Wales, eldest son and heir apparent of King George II. She never became queen consort, as Frederick predeceased his father ...

and Srinagarindra of Thailand were not styled queen dowager because their respective husbands,

Frederick, Prince of Wales Frederick, Prince of Wales, (Frederick Louis, ; 31 January 170731 March 1751), was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen Caroline. Frederick was the fa ...

and Mahidol Adulyadej, Prince of Songkla, were never kings. Instead, Augusta held the title of " Dowager Princess of Wales" (a precedent was

Henry VII of England Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henry's mother, Margaret Beauf ...

's mother,

Lady Margaret Beaufort Lady Margaret Beaufort (usually pronounced: or ; 31 May 1441/43 – 29 June 1509) was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late fifteenth century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first Tudor monarch. A descendant o ...

, titled "My Lady the King's Mother"); Srinagarindra meanwhile received the designation "Princess Mother". As there is only one monarch, there can only be one queen mother. It is possible for there to be a queen mother and one or more queens dowager alive at any one time. This situation occurred in the

Commonwealth realm A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...

s in the period between the accession of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

on 6 February 1952 and the death of her paternal grandmother on 24 March 1953. For slightly over a year, there were three queens alive: * Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning monarch (

). *

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was th ...

, the widow of the deceased King George VI and the mother of the reigning queen. Queen Elizabeth, the former queen consort, specifically adopted the appellation ''queen mother'' to distinguish herself from her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. She reportedly loathed being referred to as a ''dowager queen'', and felt there would be confusion if she were called simply by her name, as her two immediate predecessors, Queen Mary and Queen Alexandra, had been. * Queen Mary, the widow of

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

, the mother of the former king Edward VIII (the then Duke of Windsor) and of the late King George VI. Queen Mary had been the queen mother from the death of her husband in 1936 until the accession of her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1952. She continued to be titled and styled ''Her Majesty Queen Mary''.

British queens dowager

There were several former queens consort of England, Scotland, and later the United Kingdom, who were never queen mothers. The following queens were dowagers between the given dates, whether queen mothers or not: Of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

: * Edith of Wessex 5 January 1066 – 18 December 1075, wife of Edward the Confessor; sister of Harold Godwinson. *

Adeliza of Louvain Adeliza of Louvain, sometimes known in England as Adelicia of Louvain, also called Adela and Aleidis; (c. 1103 – March/April 1151) was Queen of England from 1121 to 1135, as the second wife of King Henry I. She was the daughter of Godfrey I, ...

1 December 1135 – 23 April 1151, wife of

Henry I of England Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...

; remarried to William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel in 1139. *

Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor ( – 1 April 1204; french: Aliénor d'Aquitaine, ) was Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII, List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of Henry II of England, King Henry I ...

6 July 1189 – 1 April 1204, wife of

Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin kin ...

; ''queen mother'' to Richard I and John. *

Berengaria of Navarre Berengaria of Navarre ( eu, Berengela, es, Berenguela, french: Bérengère; 1165–1170 – 23 December 1230) was Queen of England as the wife of Richard I of England. She was the eldest daughter of Sancho VI of Navarre and Sancha of C ...

6 April 1199 – 23 December 1230, wife of

Richard I of England Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Aquitaine and Duchy of Gascony, Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Co ...

. * Isabella of Angoulême 18/19 October 1216 – 31 May 1246, wife of

John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin ...

and ''queen mother'' to

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry ...

. Remarried to Hugh X of Lusignan 1220. * Eleanor of Provence 16 November 1272 – 24 June 1291, wife of

and ''queen mother'' to

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a va ...

. * Marguerite of France 7 July 1307 – 14 February 1317, wife of

and stepmother to Edward II of England. * Isabella of France September 1327 – 22 August 1358, wife of Edward II of England and ''queen mother'' to

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ...

, from her husband's deposition on 20 January 1327. * Isabella of Valois 14 February 1399 – 13 September 1409, wife of Richard II of England; ceased to be queen consort with Richard's deposition on 30 September 1399. Remarried to Charles I de Valois, Duke of Orléans on 29 June 1406. * Joanna of Navarre 20 March 1413—9 July 1437, wife of

Henry IV of England Henry IV ( April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. He asserted the claim of his grandfather King Edward III, a maternal grandson of Philip IV of France, to the Kingdom of F ...

and stepmother to

Henry V of England Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the ...

. * Catherine of Valois 31 August 1422 – 3 January 1437, wife of

and ''queen mother'' to

Henry VI of England Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V, he succeeded to the English throne ...

. Remarried to Owen Tudor in 1428 or 1429. * Margaret of Anjou 21 May 1471 – 25 August 1482, wife of

. * Elizabeth Woodville 9 April 1483 – 8 June 1492, wife of Edward IV of England and ''queen mother'' to Edward V of England until the latter's deposition in 1483. Of England and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

* ''

Anne of Cleves Anne of Cleves (german: Anna von Kleve; 1515 – 16 July 1557) was Queen of England from 6 January to 12 July 1540 as the fourth wife of King Henry VIII. Not much is known about Anne before 1527, when she became betrothed to Francis, Duke of ...

survived her marriage to Henry VIII until her death on 16 July 1557, but since her marriage had been annulled on 12 July 1540, she was not considered a queen dowager.'' * Catherine Parr 28 January 1547 – 5 September 1548, sixth and last wife of

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

and stepmother to his children King Edward VI, Lady Mary and Lady Elizabeth. Remarried to Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley most likely in mid-spring of 1547.Linda Porter. ''Katherine, the queen,'' Macmillan 2011. Of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

* Margaret of Wessex 13 November 1093 – 6 November 1093, wife of Malcolm III of Scotland. *

Ermengarde de Beaumont Ermengarde de Beaumont (c. 1170 – 11 February 1233/1234) was Queen of Scotland as the wife of King William I. She is reported to have exerted influence over the affairs of state as queen, though the information of her is lacking in detail. Her ...

4 December 1214 – 12 February 1233/34, wife of William I of Scotland and ''queen mother'' to Alexander II of Scotland. * Marie de Coucy 6 July 1249 – 1285, wife of Alexander II of Scotland and ''queen mother'' to Alexander III of Scotland. Remarried to Jean de Brienne in 1257. * Yolande of Dreux 19 March 1286 – 2 August 1322, wife of Alexander III of Scotland. Remarried to Arthur II, Duke of Brittany in 1292. * Joan Beaufort 21 February 1437 – 15 July 1445, wife of

James I of Scotland James I (late July 139421 February 1437) was King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III and Annabella Drummond. His older brother David, Duke of ...

and ''queen mother'' to James II of Scotland. Remarried to James Stewart in 1439. *

Mary of Guelders Mary of Guelders (; c. 1434/1435 – 1 December 1463) was Queen of Scotland by marriage to King James II of Scotland. She ruled as regent of Scotland from 1460 to 1463. Background She was the daughter of Arnold, Duke of Guelders, and Cath ...

3 August 1460 – 1 December 1463, wife of James II of Scotland and ''queen mother'' to

James III of Scotland James III (10 July 1451/May 1452 – 11 June 1488) was King of Scots from 1460 until his death at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father, King James II, at the siege of Roxburgh C ...

. * Margaret Tudor 9 September 1513 – 8 October 1541, wife of James IV of Scotland and ''queen mother'' to James V of Scotland. Remarried to Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus in 1514 and Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven in 1528. * Mary of Guise 14 December 1542 – 11 June 1560, wife of James V of Scotland and ''queen mother'' to

. Of England, Ireland and Scotland *

Henrietta Maria of France Henrietta Maria (french: link=no, Henriette Marie; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until Charles was executed on 30 January 1649. She wa ...

30 January 1649 – 10 September 1669, wife of

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

and ''queen mother'' to Charles II. * Catherine of Braganza 6 February 1685 – 30 November 1705, wife of Charles II. * Mary of Modena 16 September 1701 – 7 May 1718, wife of James II and VII; ceased to be queen consort with his deposition on 11 December 1688. Of the United Kingdom: * Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen 20 June 1837 – 2 December 1849, wife of William IV. * Alexandra of Denmark 6 May 1910 – 20 November 1925, wife of

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second chil ...

, ''queen mother'' to

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother ...

. *

Mary of Teck Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes; 26 May 186724 March 1953) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 6 May 1910 until 20 January 1936 as the wife of King- ...

20 January 1936 – 24 March 1953, wife of

, ''queen mother'' to Edward VIII and

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

until the latter's death on 6 February 1952. * Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon 6 February 1952 – 30 March 2002, wife of

and ''queen mother'' to

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...

– styled as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

Other

Note that in some of the countries mentioned below it is unusual to indicate a former queen-consort as a dowager.

East Asia

China

* Queen Dowager Xuan, concubine of King Xiaowen and mother of

King Zhaoxiang of Qin King Zhaoxiang of Qin (; 325–251 BC), or King Zhao of Qin (秦昭王), born Ying Ji (, was the king of Qin from 306 BC to 251 BC. He was the son of King Huiwen and younger brother of King Wu. King Zhaoxiang reigned as the King of Qin for 5 ...

. *

Queen Dowager Zhao Zhao Ji (; Ji 姬 was an ancestral name of the Zhou royal family, which later evolved to generally mean "lady" in successive eras. But there are no more detailed mentions on her family at Zhao (which was a Boyi-descent state and shared origins ...

, wife of King Zhuangxiang of Qin and mother of

Qin Shi Huang Qin Shi Huang (, ; 259–210 BC) was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China. Rather than maintain the title of " king" ( ''wáng'') borne by the previous Shang and Zhou rulers, he ruled as the First Empero ...

. * Empress Lü, wife of Emperor Gaozu of Han. * Wu Zetian, wife of Emperor Gaozong and mother of Emperors Zhongzong and Ruizong of Tang. Later became the only Empress regnant in the history of China. * Empress Dowager Cixi, wife of Xianfeng Emperor and mother of

Tongzhi Emperor The Tongzhi Emperor (27 April 1856 – 12 January 1875), born Zaichun of the Aisin Gioro clan, was the ninth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign, from 1861 to 1875, which effectively lasted ...

of Qing.

Japan

* Empress Dowager Eishō (11 January 1835 – 11 January 1897), wife and widow of Emperor Kōmei of Japan. * Empress Shōken (9 May 1849 – 9 April 1914), wife and widow of Emperor Meiji of Japan. * Empress Teimei (25 June 1884 – 17 May 1951), wife and widow of Emperor Taishō of Japan and mother of Emperor Shōwa. * Empress Kōjun (6 March 1903 – 16 June 2000), wife and widow of Emperor Shōwa of Japan and mother of Emperor

Akihito is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 7 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. He presided over the Heisei era, ''Heisei'' being an expression of achieving peace worldwide. B ...

Korea

Queen Heonae Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

(997–1009), wife and widow of Gyeongjong of Goryeo and sister of Seongjong of Goryeo, mother of

Mokjong of Goryeo Mokjong of Goryeo (5 July 980 – 2 March 1009) (r. 997–1009) was the seventh ruler of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. Reign Born as Wang Song, Mokjong was the only son of King Gyeongjong; however, when his father died, he was too young t ...

and daughter of Gwangjong of Goryeo *

Queen Jangryeol Queen Jangryeol (장렬왕후 조씨; 16 December 1624 – 20 September 1688), of the Yangju Jo clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and second queen consort of Yi Jong, King Injo, the 16th Joseon monarch. She was queen consort of Jo ...

(1624–1688), wife and widow of

Injo of Joseon Injo of Joseon (7 December 1595 – 17 June 1649), born Yi Jong, was the sixteenth ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He was the grandson of King Seonjo and son of Prince Jeongwon. He was the king during the Later Jin invasion of Joseon, ...

step-mother of Hyojong of Joseon, step-grandmother of Hyeonjong of Joseon, step-great-grandmother of Sukjong of Joseon. * Queen Jeongsun (1745–1805), second wife and widow of Yeongjo of Joseon and step-grandmother of Jeongjo of Joseon and step-great-grandmother of Sunjo of Joseon.

Europe

Croatia

Helen of Zadar Helen of Zadar ( hr, Jelena) (died 8 October 976), also known as Helen the Glorious, was the queen consort of the Kingdom of Croatia (medieval), Kingdom of Croatia, as the wife of King Michael Krešimir II of Croatia, Michael Krešimir II, from 9 ...

(969 – 976), wife and widow of King Michael Krešimir II of Croatia.

Portugal

* Beatrice of Castile (1242 – 27 October 1303), wife of King Afonso III of Portugal and mother of King

Dinis I of Portugal Denis (, ; 9 October 1261 – 7 January 1325 in Santarém), called the Farmer King (''Rei Lavrador'') and the Poet King (''Rei Poeta''), was King of Portugal. The eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile, and ...

* Elizabeth of Aragon (1271 – 4 July 1336), wife of King

and mother of King

Afonso IV of Portugal Afonso IVEnglish: ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', or ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese), ''Alfonso'' or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin). (; 8 February 129128 May 1357), called the Brave ( pt, o Bravo, links=no), was King ...

* Beatrice of Castile (8 March 1293 – 25 October 1359), wife of King

and mother of King

Peter I of Portugal Peter I (Portuguese: ''Pedro I'', ; 8 April 1320 – 18 January 1367), called the Just (''o Justiceiro'') or the Cruel (''o Cruel''), was King of Portugal from 1357 until his death. He was the third but only surviving son of Afonso IV of Portug ...

Leonor Telles de Menezes Leonor Teles (or Teles de Meneses; ) was queen consort of Portugal by marriage to King Ferdinand I, and one of the protagonists, along with her brothers and her daughter Beatrice, of the events that led to the succession crisis of 1383–1385 ...

(1350 – 27 April 1386), wife of King Fernando I of Portugal * Eleanor of Aragon (1 February 1402 – 19 February 1445), wife of King Duarte I of Portugal and mother of King

Afonso V of Portugal Afonso V () (15 January 1432 – 28 August 1481), known by the sobriquet the African (), was King of Portugal from 1438 until his death in 1481, with a brief interruption in 1477. His sobriquet refers to his military conquests in Northern Afri ...

Eleanor of Viseu Eleanor of Viseu (2 May 1458 – 17 November 1525; pt, Leonor de Viseu ) was a Portuguese '' infanta'' (princess) and later queen consort of Portugal. She is considered one of her country's most notable queens consort and one of the only t ...

(2 May 1458 – 17 November 1525), wife of King

João II of Portugal John II ( pt, João II; ; 3 March 1455 – 25 October 1495), called the Perfect Prince ( pt, o Príncipe Perfeito, link=no), was King of Portugal from 1481 until his death in 1495, and also for a brief time in 1477. He is known for re-establishi ...

Eleanor of Austria Eleanor of Austria (15 November 1498 – 25 February 1558), also called Eleanor of Castile, was born an Archduchess of Austria and Infanta of Castile from the House of Habsburg, and subsequently became Queen consort of Portugal (1518–1 ...

(15 November 1498 – 25 February 1558), third wife of King

Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portuga ...

* Catherine of Austria (14 January 1507 – 12 February 1578), wife of King João III of Portugal and grandmother of King Sebastião I of Portugal * Luisa of Guzman (13 October 1613 – 27 February 1666), wife of King João IV of Portugal and mother of Kings Afonso VI and Pedro II * Maria Anna of Austria (7 September 1683 – 14 August 1754), wife of King João V of Portugal and mother of King José I of Portugal *

Mariana Victoria of Spain Mariana Victoria of Spain ( pt, Mariana Vitória; 31 March 1718 – 15 January 1781) was an '' Infanta of Spain'' by birth and was later the Queen of Portugal as wife of King Joseph I. She acted as regent of Portugal in 1776–1777, during the l ...

(31 March 1718 – 15 January 1781), wife of King José I of Portugal and mother of Queen Maria I of Portugal * Carlota Joaquina of Spain (25 April 1775 – 7 January 1830), wife of King

João VI of Portugal , house = Braganza , father = Peter III of Portugal , mother = Maria I of Portugal , birth_date = , birth_place = Queluz Palace, Queluz, Portugal , death_date = , death_place = Bemposta Palace, Lisbon, Portugal ...

and mother of King-Emperor Pedro IV of Portugal and King Miguel I of Portugal * Maria Pia of Savoy (14 February 1847 – 5 July 1911), wife of King Luís I of Portugal and mother of King Carlos I of Portugal *

Amélie of Orleans ''Amélie'' (also known as ''Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain''; ; en, The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain, italic=yes) is a 2001 French-language romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume La ...

(28 September 1865 – 25 October 1951), wife of King Carlos I of Portugal and mother of King Manuel II of Portugal

Romania

* Elisabeth of Wied (27 September 1914 – 2 March 1916), wife of King Carol I of Romania.

Saxony

* Maria Anna of Bavaria (27 January 1805 – 13 September 1877), second wife and widow of King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony.

Castile

* Mafalda of Portugal (1197-1 May 1256), wife of King Henry I of Castile * Constance of Portugal (3 January 1290 – 18 November 1313), wife of King Ferdinand IV of Castile, mother of King Alfonso XI of Castile * Maria of Portugal (9 February 1313 – 18 January 1357), wife of King Alfonso XI of Castile, mother of King

Peter I of Castile Peter ( es, Pedro; 30 August 133423 March 1369), called the Cruel () or the Just (), was King of Castile and León from 1350 to 1369. Peter was the last ruler of the main branch of the House of Ivrea. He was excommunicated by Pope Urban V for ...

* Isabella of Portugal (1428 – 15 August 1496), wife of King John II of Castile, mother of Isabella I of Castile *

Joan of Portugal Joan of Portugal ( pt, Joana �uˈɐnɐ 31 March 1439 – June 13, 1475)Charles Cawley, ''Medieval Lands, Portugal'' was the Queen of Castile as the second wife of King Henry IV of Castile. The posthumous daughter of King Edward of Portugal ...

(20 March 1439 – 12 December 1475), wife of King

Henry IV of Castile Henry IV of Castile ( Castilian: ''Enrique IV''; 5 January 1425 – 11 December 1474), King of Castile and León, nicknamed the Impotent, was the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Castile and León. During Henry's reign, the nobles became ...

León

* Urraca of Portugal (1151–1222), wife of King Ferdinand II of León, mother of King Alfonso IX of León * Teresa of Portugal (4 October 1178 – 8 June 1250), wife of King Alfonso IX of León * Constance of Portugal (3 January 1290 – 18 November 1313), wife of King Fernando IV of León, mother of King Alfonso XI of León * Maria of Portugal (9 February 1313 – 18 January 1357), wife of King Alfonso XI of León, mother of King Peter I of León * Isabella of Portugal (1428 – 15 August 1496), wife of King John II of León, mother of Isabella I of León *

(20 March 1439 – 12 December 1475), wife of King Henry IV of León

Sweden

In Sweden, there has also been another title for a dowager queen, called ''Riksänkedrottning'', which means ''Queen Dowager of the Realm''. This title was used in the 16th and 17th centuries. The last time the title queen dowager was used was in 1913. * Katarina Stenbock, (1537–1610), third wife and widow of King

Gustav I of Sweden Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksför ...

. * Gunilla Bielke, (1568–1597), second wife and widow of King John III of Sweden. * Christina of Holstein-Gottorp, (1573–1625), second wife and widow of King Charles IX of Sweden. * Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, (1599–1655), widow of King Gustaf II Adolf of Sweden. * Hedvig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, (1636–1715) widow of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden. * Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, (1720–1781), widow of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden. * Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, (1746–1815), widow of King Gustaf III of Sweden. * Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, (1759–1818) widow of King Charles XIII of Sweden. * Désirée Clary, (1777–1860) widow of King Charles XIV John of Sweden. *

Josephine of Leuchtenberg Joséphine of Leuchtenberg (Joséphine Maximilienne Eugénie Napoléone de Beauharnais; 14 March 1807 – 7 June 1876) was Queen of Sweden and Norway from 8 March 1844 to 8 July 1859 as the wife of King Oscar I. She was also Princess of Bologna ...

, (1807–1876) widow of King

Oscar I of Sweden Oscar I (born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte; 4 July 1799 – 8 July 1859) was King of Sweden and Norway from 8 March 1844 until his death. He was the second monarch of the House of Bernadotte. The only child of King Charles XIV John, Osca ...

. * Sophia of Nassau, (1836–1913) widow of King

Oscar II of Sweden Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905. Oscar was the son of King Oscar I and Queen Josephine. He inherited the Swedish and Norwe ...

Württemberg

* Charlotte, Princess Royal of Great Britain and Ireland (29 September 1765 – 5 October 1828), second wife and widow of King Frederick I of Württemberg and stepmother of King William I of Württemberg. * Pauline Therese of Württemberg (25 June 1864 – 10 May 1873), second wife and widow of William I of Württemberg and mother of

Charles I of Württemberg Charles (german: Karl Friedrich Alexander; 6 March 18236 October 1891) was King of Württemberg, from 25 June 1864 until his death in 1891. Early life Charles was born on 6 March 1823 in Stuttgart as the son of King William I and his third wif ...

. * Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (6 October 1891 – 30 October 1892), widow of

Pacific

Hawaii

* Dowager Queen Ka'ahumanu, favoured wife of King Kamehameha I * Queen Emma of Hawaii, queen consort of

King Kamehameha IV Kamehameha IV (Alekanetero ʻIolani Kalanikualiholiho Maka o ʻIouli Kūnuiākea o Kūkāʻilimoku; anglicized as Alexander Liholiho) (February 9, 1834 – November 30, 1863), reigned as the fourth monarch of Hawaii under the title ''Ke Aliʻi ...

South America

Brazil

* Amélie of Leuchtenberg (July 31, 1812 – January 26, 1873), wife and widow of Pedro I of Brazil.

Southeast Asia

Malaysia

* Raja Perempuan

Tengku Anis Raja Perempuan Tengku Anis binti Almarhum Tengku Abdul Hamid (born 6 January 1949) is the former Raja Perempuan ( Queen consort) of Kelantan. She is the widow of Sultan Ismail Petra and the mother of Sultan Muhammad V. As a Queen dowager, she i ...

of Kelantan, widow of Sultan Ismail Petra *

Tunku Puan Nora The Malay language has a complex system of Style (manner of address), styles, titles and honorifics which are used extensively in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the southern Philippines. Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and several Pro ...

of Johor, widow of Sultan Ismail * Raja Permaisuri

Tuanku Bainun Raja Permaisuri Tuanku Bainun ( Jawi: راج ڤرمايسوري توانکو بعينون; ''née'' Bainun binti Mohd Ali; born 7 November 1932) is the former Raja Permaisuri of Perak the (Queen) Malaysian state of Perak. She was also the ninth ...

of Perak, widow of

Sultan Azlan Shah Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Yussuff Izzuddin Shah Ghafarullahu-lah (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ; 19 April 1928 – 28 May 2014) was the 34th Sultan of Perak and served as the ninth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia from 26 Ap ...

* Tunku Ampuan Najihah of Negeri Sembilan, widow of Tuanku Ja'afar * Permaisuri Siti Aishah Abdul Rahman of Selangor, widow of Sultan Salahuddin * Che Puan Besar Haminah of Kedah, widow of

Sultan Abdul Halim Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...

* Cik Puan Besar Kalsom of Pahang, widow of Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah

Myanmar

Yun San , image = , caption = , reign = 29 February 1752 – 11 May 1760 , coronation = 17 April 1752 , succession = Chief Queen Consort of Burma , predecessor = Maha Nanda Dip ...

, chief queen consort of King

Alaungpaya Alaungpaya ( my, အလောင်းဘုရား, ; also spelled Alaunghpaya or Alaung-Phra; 11 May 1760) was the founder of the Konbaung Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). By the time of his death from illness during his campaign in Siam, this f ...

and mother to three successive kings, Naungdawgyi,

Hsinbyushin Hsinbyushin ( my, ဆင်ဖြူရှင်, , ; th, พระเจ้ามังระ; 12 September 1736 – 10 June 1776) was king of the Konbaung dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) from 1763 to 1776. The second son of the dynasty founder Al ...

and Bodawpaya * Shin Phyo Oo, chief queen consort of King Naungdawgyi, mother to Phaungka * Me Myat Shwe, Princess of Taungoo, chief queen consort of King Tharawaddy, mother of

King Pagan King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the t ...

and Queen Consort

Setkya Dewi Setkya Dewi ( my, စကြာဒေဝီ; sa, Cakrádévī; 22 December 1813 – 12 November 1876), commonly known by her regnal title Thiri Pavara Mahayazeinda Yadana Dewi ( my, သီရိပဝရ မဟာရာဇိန္ဒာ ရတန ...

* Kyaut Maw Mibaya,Shin Min Yin, queen of the southern department of King Tharawaddy and mother of King Mindon *

Laungshe Mibaya Thiri Mahamingala Thupabadewi ( my, သီရိမဟာမင်္ဂလာသုပဘာဒေဝီ; pi, Sirimahāmaṅgalasupabhādevī; 1825 – after 1890), commonly known as the Laungshe Mibaya or Queen of Laungshe ( my, လောင် ...

, Nanzwe queen consort of King Mindon and mother of King Thibaw

Thailand

* Amarindra, (7 September 1809 – 25 May 1826), wife and widow of King Rama I of Siam and mother of King Rama II of Siam. * Sri Suriyendra, (21 July 1984 - 18 October 1836), wife and widow of King Rama II of Siam and mother of King Mongkut and King Pinklao. * Saovabha Phongsri, (23 October 1910 – 20 October 1919), wife and widow of King Chulalongkorn of Siam and mother of King Vajiravudh. * Savang Vadhana, (23 October 1910 – 17 December 1955), wife and widow of King Chulalongkorn of Siam and grandmother of King

Ananda Mahidol Ananda Mahidol ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรเมนทรมหาอานันทมหิดล; ; 20 September 1925 – 9 June 1946), posthumous reigning title Phra Athamaramathibodin ( th, พระอั� ...

and King

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; ( Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Grea ...

. *

Sukhumala Marasri Sukhumala Marasri ( th, สุขุมาลมารศรี, , ; 10 May 1861 – 9 July 1927) was a daughter of King Mongkut (Rama IV) and his concubine, Samli (เจ้าคุณจอมมารดาสำลี). Her given name was Pr ...

, (23 October 1910 – 9 July 1927), wife and widow of King Chulalongkorn of Siam. *

Rambai Barni Queen Rambai Barni ( th, รำไพพรรณี, , ), formerly Princess Rambai Barni Svastivatana ( th, รำไพพรรณี สวัสดิวัตน์, ; born 20 December 1904 – 22 May 1984), was the wife and queen con ...

, (30 May 1941 – 22 May 1984), wife and widow of King Prajadhipok of Siam. *

Sirikit Queen Sirikit ( th, สิริกิติ์; ; ); born '' Mom Rajawongse'' Sirikit Kitiyakara ( th, สิริกิติ์ กิติยากร; ; 12 August 1932) is the queen mother of Thailand. She was Queen of Thailand as the wi ...

, (since 13 October 2016), wife and widow of King

of Thailand and mother of King Vajiralongkorn.

West Asia

Jordan

Musbah bint Nasser Musbah bint Nasser ( ar, مصباح بنت ناصر; 1884 – 15 March 1961) was the first queen consort of Jordan. She was born in 1884 in Mecca, Ottoman Empire. She was the elder twin daughter of Amir Nasser Pasha and his wife Dilber Khanum, th ...

(1884 – 15 March 1961), wife of

Abdullah I of Jordan AbdullahI bin Al-Hussein ( ar, عبد الله الأول بن الحسين, translit=Abd Allāh al-Awwal bin al-Husayn, 2 February 1882 – 20 July 1951) was the ruler of Jordan from 11 April 1921 until his assassination in 1951. He was the Emi ...

and mother of Talal of Jordan. * Zein Al-Sharaf Talal (2 August 1916 – 26 April 1994), wife of Talal of Jordan and mother of Hussein of Jordan. * Lisa Najeeb Halaby (Noor Al'Hussein) (b. 23 August 1951), the fourth wife and widow of King Hussein of Jordan and the stepmother of the current king, Abdullah II.

Fiction

In the novel series ''

The Princess Diaries ''The Princess Diaries'' is a series of epistolary young adult novels written by Meg Cabot, and is also the title of the first volume, published in 2000. The series revolves around Amelia 'Mia' Thermopolis, a teenager in New York who discovers ...

'', the character Princess Clarisse Marie Grimaldi Renaldo is the princess dowager of the principality of Genovia. In the films, where Genovia is portrayed as a kingdom, Clarisse is portrayed as a dowager queen. In the fantasy novel series '' A Song of Ice and Fire'', and later the HBO series '' Game of Thrones'', the character Cersei Lannister became the queen mother to King Joffrey Baratheon after her husband Robert Baratheon was killed in a hunting accident, although she managed to strong-arm the position of regent as well, and was thus known as the "queen regent". In the episode "

High Sparrow The High Sparrow is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of high fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin and its television adaptation '' Game of Thrones''. The High Sparrow first appears in ''A Feast fo ...

", the new queen consort, Margaery Tyrell, mocks Cersei's loss of power by asking her to clarify whether she should be addressed as queen mother or dowager queen. In the 2015 Indian movie ''Baahubali-The Beginning'' and its sequel ''Baahubali-the Conclusion'', actress Ramya Krishnan portrays the character "Rajamatha Shivagami Devi". In most Indian languages, the word 'rajamata' means 'Queen-Mother'. In the video game '' Long Live the Queen'', after the queen regnant of the kingdom of Nova is assassinated, her widower is referred to as the king-dowager.

Notes

{{reflist * Royal titles Widowhood