Christine de Pisan was
bom in Venice, Italy in about 1365. She moved to Paris as a child
of three when her father was appointed as King Charles V's doctor.
Christine de Pisan's The City of Ladies,
was the first history book written about women from the point of view
of a woman. In the book Christine argues that male historians had
given a distorted picture of the role played by women in history.
The book attempted to redress the balance by providing a positive
view of women's achievements.
Pisan's next book, Three
Virtues, gave advice on how women could improve their situation.
Christine wrote several other books including a book on military law
and a biography of King Charles V. Her final work was a poem celebrating
the achievements of Joan of Arc.
In the poem Christine pointed
out that it was a woman who had saved the kingdom of France, "something
that 5,000 men could not have done." Christine de Pisan died
in about 1430.
The
Normans: Classroom Activities
(1)
Christine de Pisan, The Life of Charles V (1409)
I gathered
my information concerning his life, surroundings, behaviour life-style
and his specific acts either from chronicles or from talking to famous
people who are still alive.
(2)
Christine de Pisan, City of Ladies (1405)
I know
a woman today, named Anastasia who is so learned and skilled in painting
manuscript borders and miniature backgrounds that one cannot find
an artisan in all the city of Paris... who can surpass her... People
cannot stop talking about her. And I know this from experience, for
she has executed several things for me which stand out among the paintings
of the great masters.
(3)
Christine de Pisan, City of Ladies (1405)
I am amazed
by the opinion of some men who claim that they do not want their daughters
or wives to be educated because they would be ruined as a result...
Not all men (and especially the wisest) share the opinion that it
is bad for women to be educated. But it is very true that many foolish
men have claimed this because it upset them that women knew more than
they did.
(4)
Christine de Pisan, , a poem in defence of women (c. 1410)
They neither
kill nor wound, nor lop off
limbs,
They do not plot, or plunder or persecute.
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