ABSTRACT
Writing for women in a position of power assumes the existence of writing on the one hand and of powerful women on the other. Both are known to have existed for a long time, although the actual relationship between the writer and the dedicatee may have differed considerably through time. By simply looking at the size and at the actual number of folios in fifteenth-century dedication copies to rulers, and comparing them to the ones dedicated to women, albeit in a position of power. More characteristic of the interest for women in a position of power is Cornazzano's De mulieribus admirandis. Dedicated to Bianca Visconti Sforza after the death of her husband, but possibly started earlier, it can be dated between 1466 and 1468. Cornazzano's activity in favour of women of importance, together with his writing of lyrical poetry, brought him fame as a defender of women.
