Editing Emma of Normandy (section)

==Queenship==
As Pauline Stafford noted,{{sfn|Duggan|2002|p=199}} Emma is the "first of the early medieval queens" to be depicted through contemporary portraiture. To that end, Emma is the central figure within the ''Encomium Emmae Reginae'' (incorrectly titled ''Gesta Cnutonis Regis'' during the later Middle Ages{{sfn|Duggan|2002|p=199}}) a critical source for the study of English succession in the 11th century. During the reign of Æthelred, Emma most likely served as little more than a figurehead{{sfn|Stafford|2001|p=3}} a physical embodiment of the treaty between the English and her Norman father. However, her influence increased considerably under Cnut. Until 1043, writes Stafford, Emma "was the richest woman in England ... and held extensive lands in the East Midlands and Wessex."{{sfn|Stafford|2001|p=3}} Emma's authority was not simply tied to landholdings{{sfn|Stafford|2001|p=3}}—which fluctuated greatly from 1036 to 1043—she also wielded significant sway over the ecclesiastical offices of England.