Dowager
Adowageris awidowor widower who holds a title or property – a "dower"– derived from her or his deceased spouse.[1]As an adjective,dowagerusually appears in association withmonarchicalandaristocratictitles.
In popular usage, the noundowagermay refer to any elderly widow, especially one of wealth and dignity or autocratic manner.
Some dowagers move to a separate residence known as adower house.
Use[edit]
In the United Kingdom[edit]
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In the United Kingdom the widow of apeerorbaronetmay continue to use the style she had during her husband's lifetime, e.g. "CountessofLoamshire",provided that his successor, if any, has no wife to bear the plain title. Otherwise she more properly prefixes either herforenameor the wordDowager,e.g. "Jane, Countess of Loamshire" or "Dowager Countess of Loamshire". (In any case, she would continue to be called "Lady Loamshire".)[3]
The termqueen dowageris used in the United Kingdom and several other countries for the widow of a king; when the dowager is the mother of the current monarch she is more often known as thequeen mother.[4]
In theOrders of Precedence in the United Kingdom,a dowager peer ranks above her daughter-in-law (the wife of her son, the incumbent peer); this is different to queens dowager, where a daughter-in-law (i.e., the more recent queen) will rank above her mother-in-law.
In Sinosphere[edit]
Empress dowageris the title given to the mother or widow of aChinese,Japanese,KoreanorVietnameseemperor. A notable example is ChineseEmpress Dowager Cixi,who effectively ruled China for over 47 years.[5]
In other regions[edit]
This form of address is used for noble ladies whose husbands have died. It was used for the lateQueen Dowager, Fabiolaof Belgium.
Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spainwas known as a dowager queen after the death of her husband.[6]
The widowed wives ofRussian emperorswere bestowed the title of Dowager Empress, and ranked above the wife of the reigning emperor.
Informal[edit]
Elderly widows of wealth, prominence, and dignified or autocratic manner are often referred to informally as dowagers.
Dowagers portrayed in literature include the Dowager Duchess of Merton inAgatha Christie'sLord Edgware Dies.
Maggie SmithportrayedViolet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Granthamfrom 2010 to 2015 in the television seriesDownton Abbey,and in the 2019 movie sequelDownton Abbeyand the 2022 filmDownton Abbey: A New Era.
References[edit]
- ^"Queen as a Title – History of Titles for Female Rulers".about.com.Archived fromthe originalon 13 May 2016.Retrieved19 March2017.
- ^Loés, João (22 February 2013)."A volta de Dom Pedro I".istoe.com.br(in Portuguese).Retrieved7 November2022.
- ^"Titles and how to use them".The Telegraph.4 May 2009.Retrieved2021-03-07.
- ^"The Queen Mother".Sky HISTORY TV channel.Retrieved2021-03-07.
- ^Jung Chang (2013).Empress Dowager Cixi.Knopf Doubleday. p. 68.ISBN9780385350372.
- ^lesoir.be (21 August 2016)."Baudouin et Fabiola, un couple fusionnel".lesoir.be.Retrieved19 March2017.
External links[edit]
