Christine de Pizan: Europe’s First Professional Female Writer

Sometimes, while wandering in unexpected places, we stumble upon voices that seem to have been waiting for us. That is how I first encountered Christine de Pizan, not in a history book, but while browsing Project Gutenberg.

Born in Venice around 1364, Christine moved to France as a child when her father, Tommaso di Benvenuto da Pizzano, was invited to serve as astrologer and scholar at the court of Charles V. Thanks to him, she had something rare for a girl of her time — access to books, ideas, and learning.

At fifteen, she married Estienne de Castel, a court secretary. Their marriage was a happy one, but after just ten years she was left widowed, with her mother and three young children to support. Out of grief and necessity, Christine turned to writing. Out of that choice, she became something extraordinary: Europe’s first professional female writer.

The Gift of Her Pen

Christine began with poems of mourning, ballades written to the memory of her husband. They touched hearts and brought her recognition. From there, her voice grew: ballads, rondeaux, and lays, always infused with sincerity. Her talent carried her words into the hands of dukes, queens, and princes.

She did not stop at poetry. Her prose works reveal both imagination and courage. In The Book of the City of Ladies (1405), she envisioned an allegorical city built of women’s achievements, stone by stone, guided by the voices of Reason, Rectitude, and Justice. In its companion, The Treasure of the City of Ladies, she offered women practical counsel on living with dignity and strength, no matter their station in life.

And Christine kept writing: reflections on her own life, a biography of King Charles V, and volumes that displayed a dazzling range of knowledge and insight. Her pen had become both her livelihood and her legacy.

A Voice for Her Time

Her life unfolded during political upheaval. After France’s devastating loss at Agincourt in 1415, Christine retired to a convent. Yet even there, her voice was not silent. In 1429, she wrote a final profound poem: Le Ditié de Jehanne d’Arc.

It is a joyous hymn to Joan of Arc’s early victories and the only French poem about Joan written while she was still alive. What a closing chapter: a woman writer, celebrating a woman warrior.

Why Christine Still Matters

Christine’s story holds within it both privilege and loss. She began with the advantages of a father’s library at the French court, yet she endured widowhood, financial struggle, and the responsibility of raising children. Out of these contrasts came a voice that still astonishes us today.

Her words still speak with clarity and conviction:

“If it were customary to send little girls to school and to teach them the same subjects as are taught boys, they would learn just as fully and understand the subtleties of all the arts and sciences.” The Book of the City of Ladies

“This is the beginning of the book that Dame Christine de Pisan made for all great queens, ladies and princesses. And first, how they ought to love and fear God.” The Treasure of the City of Ladies (Penguin Classics translation)

Christine’s city of ladies was not just allegory. It was prophecy. In it. She gave women a place of belonging. Six centuries later, we can still walk through those gates and hear her voice: courageous, wise, and profoundly human.

Until the next page turns,

Rebecca

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I have compiled a list of Ulster Cycle materials, including prose narratives (mostly what is in the Ulidia 1994 list) but also dindshenchas articles, some poems, and items from Cóir Anmann. There were 75 titles on the original Ulidia list, and over 200 here, so I hope that it will help lead people to some of the lesser known stories, poems, and other bits and pieces. It's available on Knowledge Commons (a wonderful and non-profit alternative to academia.edu, you can follow them @hello). The titles all link directly to CODECS for information about editions, translations, etc. (Thank you to @codecs for being such a fantastic resource!) I hope people will find it useful. It's just a first version and there will certainly be many changes and additions needed in future, but I think it's in a state to be of some interest and use, at least. Corrections and suggestions are very welcome!

https://works.hcommons.org/records/bdb7a-50d66

#UlsterCycle #IrishLiterature #MedievalLiterature #MedievalIrishLiterature #CelticStudies