The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe: Power and Patronage at the Burgundian Court
By Susan Abernethy
Pen & Sword History
ISBN: 978 1 03613 724 3
This book profiles more than forty women associated with the Burgundian court between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, highlighting their influential roles in governance, religion, and the arts.
Excerpt:
This is by no means a complete list of all the royal and aristocratic women of the Burgundian era. The narrative will concentrate on the wives, daughters, sisters, nieces, granddaughters and other peripheral women who held fundamental positions of authority in the acquisition and government of the Valois Burgundian Dukes. Their wives proved to be energetic and capable, taking the reins of public affairs under a myriad of circumstances. They conducted negotiations, patronised artists, appointed their own people to ecclesiastical and other offices, accumulated estates and applied for taxes from the duke’s subjects. The wives were subsequently succeeded by their daughters and others who carried on these duties and traditions.
Who is this book for?
This series of concise biographies, ranging from one to eight pages, provides a valuable guide to the queens, duchesses, and noblewomen associated with the Burgundian court—many of whom wielded influence across Western Europe. It also serves as a useful reference for those studying late medieval France and its interconnected courts.
“It’s a lot of ground to cover, but Abernethy has a way of telling the stories of women comprehensively. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Burgundy and these extraordinary women who made the duchy an empire.” ~ review by Heidi Malagisi at Adventures of a Tudor Nerd
The Author
Susan Abernethy is an independent historian who has contributed to many websites about the Middle Ages, including Medievalists.net. She has her own site at The Freelance History Writer. You can also follow on X/Twitter @SusanAbernethy2
We asked Susan about why she wrote this book. She tells us, “It all started with the random purchase of a used copy of a biography of Isabel of Portugal by Aline S Taylor. It just so happened that Isabel was the daughter of King John I of Portugal and Philippa, daughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and son of King Edward III of England. To my surprise Isabel was married, at the venerable age of 33, to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy as his third wife. She was also the mother of Charles the Bold. Both Isabel and Charles greatly intrigued me as tenacious and resolute characters.
“From there, I had to learn more. As my knowledge of Burgundian history expanded, more women in history emerged. From the wives, daughters, grand-daughters and nieces, they were all used as pawns in the dukes’ diplomatic efforts to expand and govern the Burgundian Empire. The dukes could not have done this without their women and many of them had a role in the history of Western Europe, spreading their influence across many countries including France, Germany, England, the Low Countries, Italy, Spain and many more. My purpose in writing the book is to feature these women and shed light on the history of the Burgundian Empire.”
The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe: Power and Patronage at the Burgundian Court
By Susan Abernethy
Pen & Sword History
ISBN: 978 1 03613 724 3
This book profiles more than forty women associated with the Burgundian court between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, highlighting their influential roles in governance, religion, and the arts.
Excerpt:
This is by no means a complete list of all the royal and aristocratic women of the Burgundian era. The narrative will concentrate on the wives, daughters, sisters, nieces, granddaughters and other peripheral women who held fundamental positions of authority in the acquisition and government of the Valois Burgundian Dukes. Their wives proved to be energetic and capable, taking the reins of public affairs under a myriad of circumstances. They conducted negotiations, patronised artists, appointed their own people to ecclesiastical and other offices, accumulated estates and applied for taxes from the duke’s subjects. The wives were subsequently succeeded by their daughters and others who carried on these duties and traditions.
Who is this book for?
This series of concise biographies, ranging from one to eight pages, provides a valuable guide to the queens, duchesses, and noblewomen associated with the Burgundian court—many of whom wielded influence across Western Europe. It also serves as a useful reference for those studying late medieval France and its interconnected courts.
“It’s a lot of ground to cover, but Abernethy has a way of telling the stories of women comprehensively. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Burgundy and these extraordinary women who made the duchy an empire.” ~ review by Heidi Malagisi at Adventures of a Tudor Nerd
The Author
Susan Abernethy is an independent historian who has contributed to many websites about the Middle Ages, including Medievalists.net. She has her own site at The Freelance History Writer. You can also follow on X/Twitter @SusanAbernethy2
We asked Susan about why she wrote this book. She tells us, “It all started with the random purchase of a used copy of a biography of Isabel of Portugal by Aline S Taylor. It just so happened that Isabel was the daughter of King John I of Portugal and Philippa, daughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and son of King Edward III of England. To my surprise Isabel was married, at the venerable age of 33, to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy as his third wife. She was also the mother of Charles the Bold. Both Isabel and Charles greatly intrigued me as tenacious and resolute characters.
“From there, I had to learn more. As my knowledge of Burgundian history expanded, more women in history emerged. From the wives, daughters, grand-daughters and nieces, they were all used as pawns in the dukes’ diplomatic efforts to expand and govern the Burgundian Empire. The dukes could not have done this without their women and many of them had a role in the history of Western Europe, spreading their influence across many countries including France, Germany, England, the Low Countries, Italy, Spain and many more. My purpose in writing the book is to feature these women and shed light on the history of the Burgundian Empire.”
To learn more about this book, please visit the publisher’s website
You can also buy this book on Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
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