Christine de Pizan – Part 1
Introduction
We’ve just surpassed fifty stories of the incredible women who lived during the Middle Ages! There are in fact hundreds of great stories, but we have just focused on a few. From Genovefa (423 – 502) through Dorothy of Montau, we have discovered that there were many leaders including queens, abbesses, nuns, Beguines, sisters in monasteries, writers, godly wives, mothers, empresses, social reformers. Thousands of women were called and gifted by God to served Christ. during this very interesting time in history.
This week we continue with another woman whose religious experience included mysticism.[1] Some of the most famous women in church history were mystics – Birgitta (Bridget) of Sweden,[2] Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena,[3] Dorothea of Montau,[4] Christine de Pizan, and Margery Kempe. Their experiences were different from most of ours and I am looking forward to comparing our stories when I get to heaven.
Christine de Pizan (1364-1431)
In our last story about Dorothy of Montau we discovered that there were many amazing female “firsts” – Dorothy was the first anchoress of the Prussian frontier. Julian of Norwich was the first published author in English literature; Catherine of Siena was the first author published in Italian. Birgitta of Sweden and Margery Kempe are also acclaimed authors.
Christine de Pizan is noted as the first professional woman writer since she was paid for her writing. There were many women who wrote poems, commentaries, or stories. Julian, Catherine, Birgitta, and Margery were authors, but Christine was the first woman to be recompensed for her work. The other female authors were usually members of the church or the nobility. They did not expect or possibly even need to be paid for their work. They had the church to support them or were wealthy or had a wealthy patron. Christine needed to earn a living. Let’s see how this came about.
Christine was born in Venice, Italy in 1364. Her father, Thomas de Pizan became employed by King Charles V of France as his court astrologer. Astrologers in Medieval times were interested in more than horoscopes. They were highly respected academics who were expert in mathematics, philosophy, and medicine. They believed that the sun and moon and stars somehow affected the human body. Doctors would often consult with an astrologer before making a diagnosis or prescribing a treatment. It was natural for the king to employ such a man as an expert.
At first the de Pizan family did not live in Paris with Thomas, but when Christine was four years old the family joined him at the court of King Charles. There Christine grew up in royal circles. She was familiar with princesses and the nobility. She was used to luxurious clothes and fine food.
But best of all, her father recognized her abilities and provided tutors for her education. Women were generally not educated during the Middle Ages. As we have seen in former posts, many women joined a convent so they could learn to read and write. Women in wealthy families might expect some education, but it was usually in the art of making the future husband happy. Christine was very blessed that Thomas saw to it that she learned Latin, rhetoric, history, literature, theology, and other important subjects. This was very satisfying to Christine who had such an amazing intellect.
When she was 15, Christine was considered old enough to marry. Many knights, clerics, and scholars sought her hand. Thomas knew that Christiane would be happiest with a scholar, so he arranged a marriage with Etienne de Castel. Indeed, it turned out to be a love match. The king was pleased with the match and hired Etienne to be his notary and financial secretary. Christine and Etienne had three children. One boy died but a son Jean and a daughter Marie survived. The family was a very happy one.
This idyllic situation did not last. The king died unexpectedly. Thomas was then out of a job. Worse yet, the money that the king had promised Thomas for his work was a verbal agreement and not in a written contract. Thomas had not saved money because he had given most away to the poor. In his new poverty, Thomas grew sick and died.
Etienne managed to support his family for five years. Then he died in the plague at age 34. Now Christine, only 25 years old was the head of the household and in charge of the Pizan family including her children, mother, and a niece. She did not know how to manage financial affairs. Many people cheated her. She had few options, but she decided to go to work. It was a brave choice for someone who had known only fine, carefree living.
At first, Christine took a job copying manuscripts. Then she took the bold step to become a writer. Christine’s first writing was in the form of letters. Some of her letters were an exchange with other authors. One example of this is the exchange she had with Jean de Montreuil, secretary to the king, over a popular French poem, Roman de la Rose (The Romance of the Rose). This was a public exchange, and she gained much notoriety.
Christine had female supporters at the French court. She presented some of her letters to the French queen, Isabeau de Baviere in 1402. By this time there was a lot of interest in her work and so she decided to write a book. The Book of the City of Ladies, written in 1404-5, is the work that she is most famous for even to this day.
She also wrote poetry. Christine’s last poem, written in 1429, praised a woman who epitomized all that Christine admired in women. That woman was Joan of Arc, whom Christine praised in her poem:
And you, Charles, King of France, seventh of that noble name, who have been involved in such a great war before things turned out at all well for you, now, thanks be to God see your honour exalted by the Maid who has laid low your enemies beneath your standard (and this is new!)(See first footnote “1” below.)
We will look at Christine’s writings, The Book of the City of Ladies, her exchange of letters with Jean de Montreuil, the Book of Three Virtues, and her poetry more in depth in Part 2. Christine not only taught her readers important stories of women’s lives, but she modeled her own story of accomplishment with her magnificent writing. Truly she proved that women are as capable as men in intellectual skills.
[1] Christine de Pizan, Le Ditie de Jehanne D’Arc. Stanza XIII. You can read the whole poem here: https://www.jeanne-darc.info/contemporary-chronicles-other-testimonies/christine-de-pizan-le-ditie-de-jehanne-darc/
[1] For more information on mysticism see posts on July 6, 2016, “Christian Women Mystics” and July 20, 2016, “Medieval Christian Women Mystics”.
[2] See posts on July 6 and July 20, 2021.
[3] See posts on May 4, 2021, May 18, 2021, and June 8, 2021.
[4] See post August 10, 2021
One Response
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