Rags-to-Riches

Issue 1 Article- “From Dunghill to Dame”

Everyone loves a good rags-to-riches tale. It’s why we love underdog stories like those of Chris Gardner, Walt Disney, Oprah Winfrey, and heck… even Cinderella! Queens from the Biblical and Roman traditions are no different; in fact, they were the ‘trend-setters’, if you will. In this article, we’ll take a look at a couple of influential women including Esther, Radegund, and Balthild. We will explore how they used their positions in society strategically to rise from dunghill to dame, and consider how each fulfilled or rejected their expected role as a ‘Queen’.

First let’s talk about Esther, a Jewish girl who was orphaned by her uncle Mordecai and came from virtually nothing. Although Esther used her magnificent beauty to sway King Ahasuerus, it was her ability to leverage her position in society that helped Esther to attain her goals. Queens are typically expected to intercede, to be mediators. Esther did just that. As she relayed information from Mordecai to the king, Esther acted as an intermediary and had the power of mediation and influence. She was able to ensure the outcome she desired without telling the king what to do. For example, the king told Esther that whatever she asks, it will be done for her. The first two times, Esther simply asked the king to dinner and invited his highest advisor, Haman. Haman had been terrorizing the Jewish people, a fact Esther was well aware of, and wanting to stop his plot to kill the Jews, she invited him to dinner yet again. Only this time, she exposed the advisor in front of everyone and made him look like a fool. What is striking about this event is that Esther acted in full accordance with her role as a queen-- she hosted dinner, didn’t ask for much, and listened to her king--yet she destroyed a high-ranked advisor in the kingdom.

In contrast to Esther, Radegund does not fulfill the traditional expectations of a queen. Although born in a somewhat higher status, her people (the people of Thuringia) were captured and thus became captives of the Franks. Radegund became King Clothar’s queen, a role which she didn’t seem to want by any means. Queen Radegund was a Christ-like figure as she washed the feet of the poor, stood by the sides of criminals, associated with lepers, dressed modestly, and much more. Some of the queen’s actions were consistent with queen-like duties, such as the act of giving alms and helping the poor, but others were not. Excusing herself in the middle of the night to go and pray, eating a vegetarian diet, and wearing hair shirts were extremely odd for a queen to do. These were actions typical of monks and religious zealots, not a ruler. Radegund was meshing public and private affairs, standing out, and was becoming an inconvenience for the king. However, despite this unusual behavior, Radegund was eventually revered as a saint and praised for her unselfish, holy actions.

Balthild is another queen who strategically used her position of power and is an interesting comparison to Radegund because, although seemingly similar, their motivations and end goals were quite different. Another captive of the war, Balthild has various comparisons to Esther and Radegund in terms of being a ‘diamond in the rough’. Like Radegund, Balthild did not give up her holy obligations to God for another mere aristocrat, however, unlike Radegund, Balthild did not step away from political life but embraced it. For example, when her husband, King Clovis, died she acted as queen regent, ensuring peace and stability across her land.  Balthild proved herself to be a doer, an outwardly engaged force, and she was what people wanted her to be. As Balthild gave more, she became more. As Radegund gave more, she became less.

All of these women in power are similar yet unique. They all started in positions of lower status but eventually moved their way up the social ladder and ensured a lasting legacy for themselves. Not all of these women fulfilled the traditional role of being queen, which makes them intriguing cases to look at and begs the question, what does it really mean to be a queen? As we continue to move through time and study powerful women, it is important to take note of how a queen’s role and expectations changes over the years. I expect that, in the future we will be seeing more ‘Dunghill to Dame’ stories and more women who break traditional stereotypes. It is our job to analyze the effect these types of stories have on our society, and why they have made such a lasting impact.