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The City of Ladies
An early feminist’s dream
Christine de Pizan was the first woman able to sustain both herself and her family through her writing. Born in Venice around 1364, she moved to France with her family when she was just a child. Christine de Pizan can be seen represented in the illustration above which adorns the pages on her most famous work ‘The Book of the City of Ladies’. She’s portrayed both on the left, wearing a blue dress while welcoming three ladies, and on the right, actively building the City of Ladies.
Christine de Pizan: an early feminist
Christine de Pizan lived in a transition period, at the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance. At the time, France was at war with England in what became known as the Hundred Years’ War. Even though Christine lived in terrible times, she was extremely lucky. Her Italian scholarly father had been summoned to teach astrology and physics to King Charles V and as a consequence, Christine grew up in the pompousness and comfort of the French court. At fifteen she was married to the royal notary, Etienne Castel. However, Etienne’s tragic death put an early end to Christine’s wedding. Left alone with three young children, two younger brothers, her mother and a niece, Christine had to quickly find a way to sustain her family.
