Christine wrote poetry, military and political treatises, history, biography, and allegory first as a widow supporting her family, then, as her reputation as a gifted writer and thinker was established, as a strong political voice. Christine wrote with boldness and originality and, as her country sank deeper into turmoil and internal conflict, she was a consistent voice for peace. Her masterwork, Le livre de la cité des dames (1404-05; The Book of the City of Ladies), is among the first defenses of women written by a woman; it was translated into multiple European languages within years of her death and was widely read through the next several centuries as Christine's once-radical ideas about women gradually gained acceptance.

Biographical Information

Christine was born in Venice, where her father, Tommaso da Pizzano, was a salaried counselor. When she was four she moved with her family to Paris, where her father...