What was it really like to be a princess in the Middle Ages?

A princess was a female member of a royal family, usually the daughter of a reigning king or queen, but she could also be the sister of a monarch or a granddaughter in a royal dynasty.

Titles varied across Europe, and in some regions she was known as domina or regina filia.

A princess was born into the ruling elite, and from her earliest years she was regarded as a valuable political asset whose education, clothing, and public appearances displayed her family’s wealth and influence.

She was often taught Latin, music, religious instruction, and estate management, as well as etiquette that would later assist her in navigating the specific social expectations of a foreign court. 

Royal parents viewed daughters as instruments for strengthening family power, and in many cases, betrothals were arranged when the girl was still a child.

Some were promised in marriage as young as five or six, with weddings arranged in their early teens.

The princess herself had no say in these decisions, as dynastic politics always outweighed personal choice.

Marriages connected kingdoms, made peace treaties, or provided claims to contested lands, and the value of a princess was measured by the marriage she could bring to her family.

Eleanor of Aquitaine, for instance, married Louis VII of France at about fifteen years of age in 1137, which brought her vast inheritance into the French royal domain. 

A princess held ceremonial duties at court, where she attended feasts, festivals, and important religious events that demonstrated the unity and power of the royal household.

She could be expected to appear at coronations, royal progresses, and public processions where her presence reinforced the power of the dynasty.

Many were expected to intercede with the king on behalf of petitioners, who acted as a visible source of mercy or influence.

Some educated princesses were patrons of monasteries, artists, or chroniclers, and in doing so, they which raised their families’ cultural standing.

Eleanor of Aquitaine became renowned for her support of troubadours, while Blanche of Castile encouraged religious scholarship and the arts.

Marriage expanded her responsibilities significantly, as she was expected to manage a household which included servants, ladies‑in‑waiting, and lands that her dowry provided, including castles, land, or entire provinces. 

The chief expectation of a married princess was to provide heirs, because producing sons secured the political alliance between her natal family and her husband’s dynasty.

Court physicians and midwives oversaw her pregnancies, which often took place in public view since dynasties relied on lawful heirs.

Successful childbirth increased her status, yet repeated pregnancies exposed her to serious risks that medieval medicine could not prevent or cure.

Historical research suggests that the death rate in childbirth averaged about 1.2 percent per birth, which meant that women who bore many children faced total risk.

Chronicles often recorded the deaths of noblewomen during labour or in the days that followed.

Jane Seymour, who died after giving birth to Edward VI, illustrated the dangers that persisted for royal women long after the medieval period. 

Royal marriages rarely offered personal happiness, since a princess often moved far from her family to live in an unfamiliar land where she might not even speak the language.

Long and dangerous journeys to foreign courts could separate them from their parents forever.

Court politics could be hostile, and some noblewomen endured resentment from their husband’s relatives or advisers who viewed them as outsiders.

Many experienced arranged marriages to much older men or to husbands who kept mistresses openly, which left them isolated and powerless to object.

Loneliness and cultural displacement created constant burdens alongside the pressure to bear children created constant burdens that were impossible to escape. 

Widowed princesses also had limited freedom, because their dower lands were controlled by male guardians, and they might be forced into another marriage to serve political needs.

Even powerful women such as Eleanor of Aquitaine or Isabella of France gained influence only after years of political struggle that demanded determination and skill.

Most royal women lived their entire lives under the authority of fathers, husbands, or sons who controlled their movements and possessions. 

As mentioned above, childbirth posed the greatest threat to a princess’s life.

Women of every class faced these dangers, yet royal women were at particular risk because families expected them to have many children to secure the dynasty.

Although elite women sometimes had access to better care, frequent pregnancies increased their lifetime risk.

Chronicles and letters from the period mention noblewomen who died during childbirth or soon afterwards from fever that spread rapidly in unclean conditions.

Political intrigue also created danger for princesses, because a royal marriage could make them targets for plots and rebellions.

Captivity or assassination remained a possibility if her husband’s throne was contested.

Some princesses were imprisoned during wars or held as hostages in peace negotiations.

Violence against royal women occurred in later centuries as well.

The life of a medieval princess offered luxury, fine clothes, and a measure of influence at court, but these benefits came at the cost of personal freedom and security.

Every stage of her life revolved around the needs of her dynasty, as her education, marriage, and even her pregnancies served political ends.

Few princesses were able to pursue their own desires, form relationships of their own choosing, or shape their futures according to personal preference. 

As should now. be obvious, the reality of royal life differed sharply from later fairy tales, since the world of a princess was one of arranged marriages, constant pregnancies, and strict social rules that offered little independence.

Power for most princesses remained limited, and the price of status could be severe, as it carried risks that neither wealth nor rank could remove.