Queens and Mistresses of Renaissance France
eBook - PDF

Queens and Mistresses of Renaissance France

  1. 416 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Queens and Mistresses of Renaissance France

About this book

This book tells the history of the French Renaissance through the lives of its most prominent queens and mistresses, beginning with Agnès Sorel, the first officially recognized royal mistress in 1444; including Anne of Brittany, Catherine de Medici, Anne Pisseleu, Diane de Poitiers, and Marguerite de Valois, among others; and concluding with Gabrielle d'Estrées, Henry IV's powerful mistress during the 1590s.

Wellman shows that women in both roles-queen and mistress-enjoyed great influence over French politics and culture, not to mention over the powerful men with whom they were involved. The book also addresses the enduring mythology surrounding these women, relating captivating tales that uncover much about Renaissance modes of argument, symbols, and values, as well as our own modern preoccupations.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Queens and Mistresses of Renaissance France by Kathleen Wellman in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & European Renaissance History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Publisher
Yale University Press
Year
2013
eBook ISBN
9780300190656
Edition
1
Topic
History
Subtopic
European Renaissance History
Index
History
Agnès 
Sorel 
31
the 
hopes 
of 
the 
French 
crown 
rested. 
His 
contemporaries 
were 
even 
harsher 
in 
analyzing 
his 
character. 
They 
expressed 
frustration 
with 
his 
vacillation 
and 
inaction 
and 
detailed 
his 
neuroses, 
which 
included 
his 
fear 
of 
strangers 
and 
of 
floors, 
a 
fear 
that 
seemed 
warranted 
when 
a 
palace 
floor 
collapsed 
killing 
sev-
eral 
members 
of 
his 
court.
12
These 
comments 
reinforced 
doubts 
about 
Charles’s 
prospects 
for 
kingship; 
nothing 
about 
his 
early 
life 
inspired 
condence.
Fig. 
1.3. 
Portrait 
of 
Charles 
VII 
by 
Jean 
Fouquet. 
Louvre, 
Paris 
/ 
The 
Bridgeman 
Art 
Library.

Table of contents

  1. Contents
  2. Preface
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. Introduction
  5. 1. Agnès Sorel: The First Official Royal Mistress
  6. 2. Anne of Brittany: The Limits and Prospects of a Queen
  7. 3. The Women of the Court of Francis I: Wives and Mistresses, Sister and Mother
  8. 4. Diane de Poitiers An Idealized Mistress
  9. 5. Catherine de Medici King in All but Name
  10. 6. Marguerite de Valois Scandalous Queen, Femme Savante
  11. 7. Gabrielle d’Estrées Nearly a Queen
  12. Conclusion
  13. Notes
  14. Index