The First Blast of the Trumpet against the monstrous regiment of Women

John Knox’s The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women is a fiercely polemical tract written in 1558 during the tumultuous period of the Protestant Reformation. In this provocative text, Knox argues against the legitimacy of female monarchs ruling in Christian nations, targeting specifically Mary I of England, Mary of Guise (Regent of Scotland), and other contemporary Catholic queens. The word “regiment” here refers not to the military but to “rule” or “government.” Knox, drawing from scripture, history, and natural law, contends that female governance is contrary to divine and natural order, asserting that women are inherently unsuited to political authority. His arguments reflect a fusion of theological interpretation and political ideology characteristic of the 16th-century Protestant reformist worldview. The book stirred significant controversy, especially when Elizabeth I ascended to the English throne shortly after its publication. Knox’s attempts to distance his argument from Elizabeth met with limited success and strained relations with Protestant allies. The work includes original letters and defences written by Knox to figures like Queen Elizabeth and Sir William Cecil, offering a broader historical context to his polemics. Though widely criticized and condemned today for its overt misogyny, The First Blast remains a significant primary document in the study of Reformation-era politics, gender theory in early modern Europe, and the historical intersection of religion and power.