ABSTRACT
Christine de Pizan's life and writings were indelibly marked by the times in which she lived. Christine was the author of a great many texts that spanned a great many genres. Her writing career began with poetry that addressed, among other things, the experience of bereavement and the loneliness she encountered as a widow in French society. It is Christine's awareness that the decision to go to war is a great and weighty matter that touches "the lives, the blood, and the honour and the fortunes of an infinite number of people". Christine presents The Book of the Body Politic as a "mirror for princes" designed to steer the Dauphin away from the perils of tyranny and inculcate in him an appreciation for virtuous government. Christine's writings also play an important role in updating just war thinking to meet the changing political and military realities of the period.
