Husbands were indeed the ‘kings’ of their own households, with the ultimate authority over their wives, children and servants. It was the subject of a lot of popular literature, which extensively justified and gave reference to these heads of household. It was prevalent in society and the religions that governed England during this time, regardless of whether it was Catholicism or Protestantism. Even those who could be seen as the exception to this rule were subject to it in some way; the female monarchs could not escape the overbearing power of the husband, and single women were constantly judged for their unruly lifestyle free of male reason. This domestic authority even governed those of the highest rank, forcing the Tudor queens to consider marriage as their most important political issue. Domestic authority was a stark, patriarchal reality in early modern
Husbands were indeed the ‘kings’ of their own households, with the ultimate authority over their wives, children and servants. It was the subject of a lot of popular literature, which extensively justified and gave reference to these heads of household. It was prevalent in society and the religions that governed England during this time, regardless of whether it was Catholicism or Protestantism. Even those who could be seen as the exception to this rule were subject to it in some way; the female monarchs could not escape the overbearing power of the husband, and single women were constantly judged for their unruly lifestyle free of male reason. This domestic authority even governed those of the highest rank, forcing the Tudor queens to consider marriage as their most important political issue. Domestic authority was a stark, patriarchal reality in early modern