The contributions of this special issue - proceedings of the conference on royal nunneries that took place in Prague in July 2020 - focus on the monasteries connected to the ruling houses, which were endowed with special privileges and enriched by royal and aristocratic donations, often serving as instrumenta regni. They are introduced as active cultural hubs, stages for royal and courtly promotion, and places of personal and dynastic self-representation. This includes female monasteries, the agency of female elites in medieval society and their role as patrons and addressees of works of art.