The essays in this volume examine the varied experiences of female rulers in early modern Europe. Cruz (Spanish, University of Miami) and Suzuki (English, University of Miami) selected the articles from papers presented at a 2005 conference on women and power. The justifications for the rule of women are addressed in the first essays, along with the resistance to rule even by designated female heirs. This resistance and the ways that the women strove to overcome it through symbols and writings are themes that run through all the essays. Elizabeth I of England is the subject of several of the articles. By virtue of her longevity, power and unmarried state, she is the classic example of female governance from the period. However, several lesser known women are chronicled including Isabella of Castile and her descendents, Catherine of Brandenburg and Katherine Valois, for example. This is an excellent collection that demonstrates the ways in which women negociated authority and the efforts to thwart them. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)