ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses life history of Christine de Pizan, a feminist thinker, who was born around 1364 in Venice and at the age of four moved with her family to Paris where her father, Thomas de Pizan, became the court physician and astrologer of the French king Charles V. The rediscovery of Christine as a feminist thinker in the 1980s was conditioned by the rapid development of feminist theory and women's studies programs that tried to unearth foremothers. In the political realm women are just as capable as men, as Christine proved through the many examples of female rulers and military leaders that reside in the City of Ladies. Christine was aware of the connection between women's behavior, their reputation, and the roles they were allowed to play in society. To uncover the true nature of women, their virtue as well as their capacity for learning and leadership, was one of Christine's primary missions.
