Famous Mothers in History Ancient Through Modern

In honor of Mothers Day, here are some of historys more famous (and infamous) mothers and women who were given the nickname Mother. Abigail Adams Abigail Adams  was married to one US president and was also the mother of a president.  She managed the familys business when her husband was overseas. Aelfgifu Aelfgifu was the mother of the long-serving Anglo-Saxon king, Aethelraed, sometimes known as the Unready.  She disappears from  history when her husband was overthrown and then returned to power when he married  Emma of Normandy, known for marrying two different kings and for bearing each an heir who became king. Josephine Baker Josephine Baker adopted twelve children after World War II to make her home a model of world brotherhood.  Shes known less for this, though, than for her career as a performer. Anne Beauchamp Anne Beauchamp was the mother of Anne Neville (the Princess of Wales, when married to Henry VIs heir, and later Queen of England in her marriage to Richard III) and Isabel Neville (married to George, Duke of Clarence, who attempted for a time to become king of England).  Anne Beauchamps husband, Richard Neville, the 16th Earl of Warwick, was famous for his roles in the Wars of the Roses as the Kingmaker, switching sides several times. Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon,  daughter of Isabella I, was the mother of  Queen Mary I  of England, who died  childless. Lydia Maria Child Lydia Maria Child wrote books in the early 19th century to guide mothers in raising their children and running a home; she was also an active abolitionist.  And shes also the author of a long-beloved lyric used as a Thanksgiving and winter holiday song. Marie Curie Marie Curie, known as the Mother of Modern Physics, was twice a Nobel Prize winner (in different fields). Her daughter Irene also was awarded a Nobel Prize, sharing it with her mother. Margaret Douglas Margaret Douglass son, Henry Steward, Lord Darnley, married Mary, Queen of Scots, and gave his family name to the royal family following the Tudors, the Stuarts.  Margaret Douglas was a niece of Tudor king Henry VIII and granddaughter of Henry VII, first Tudor king of England.  She was also a friend of Englands Mary I. Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine  was the mother of three kings; her daughters married into the royal houses of Europe; shes been called the Mother of Europe. Elizabeth, Queen Mum Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was the  mother of Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth of York Elizabeth of York was the daughter of  Edward IV and  Elizabeth Woodville and was the queen consort of Henry VII and the mother of Prince Arthur,  Henry VIII, Mary  Tudor, and  Margaret Tudor. Elizabeth Woodville Elizabeth Woodville  married Edward IV, disrupting plans of some of his allies to marry him to European.  Her descendants from her first marriage to Sir John Grey and her second to Edward IV included many key figures in history. Isabella I of Castile Isabella I of Castile  was the mother of five living children, including Queen  Juana, known as the Mad, her  heir; Catherine of Aragon; her first heir; Juan who died before his parents did; and Isabella and Maria, who successively married Manuel I of Portugal and had many descendants, many of whom intermarried as part of the Habsburg dynasty. Mary Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots  was the mother of James I of England, first Stuart king. Mother Jones Called the most dangerous woman in America, all four of her children died in a yellow fever epidemic long before her career as a labor organizer. Empress Matilda Empress Matilda  was the mother of Henry II, first Plantagenet king. Cecily Neville Cecily Neville played a role in the conflicts later called the Wars of the Roses in medieval England.  Her 13 children included Edward IV of England; Margaret, who married the Duke of Burgundy; George, who was a contender for the throne of England for a few years; and Richard III. Olympias Olympias, mother of Alexander the Great, was also known as an ambitious and violent ruler. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis  was the mother of John F. Kennedy, jr., Caroline Kennedy, and the short-lived Patrick Kennedy. Anne Morrow Lindbergh Anne was a pilot herself, married to the famous Charles Lindbergh; their son was the subject of a tragic kidnapping. Elizabeth Cady Stanton Elizabeth Cady Stanton  was a womens suffrage leader and mother of eight;  one daughter also became a leader in the  movement. Lucy Stone Lucy Stone  was a suffrage leader alone with her daughter, Alice Stone Blackwell. Mother Teresa Mother Teresa of Calcutta won the  Nobel Peace Prize  in 1979 for her work as part of an order of nuns serving in Calcutta. Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor  was the grandmother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and of her husband Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley. Mary Wollstonecraft Mary Wollstonecraft  was famous as an early feminist; her daughter, Mary Shelley, wrote the novel  Frankenstein.