Slide 1

. . Aspirations of Women in Renaissance Period Debshri Chatterjee th or At hens.

. . Acknowledgement. I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my History teacher Mrs. Ruchi Mahajan as well as our principal Mrs. Alka Awasthi who gave me this golden opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic “Aspirations of Women in Renaissance Period” which helped me to learn a lot in the research and course of completion of this project..

. . Women in Renaissance Period. The Renaissance is considered humanity’s greatest intellectual and artistic revolution and stories about the period is dominated by tales of famous men and their inventions, discoveries, and creations. Historical inquiry regarding Renaissance often overlooks women in the Renaissance and whether they enjoyed the same level of power and triumph that their male counterparts did..

. . Only women of the highest class were given the chance to distinguish themselves, and this only rarely. For the most part, the wives of powerful men were engaged in the tasks of the household, sewing, cooking, and entertaining, among others..

. . However, despite all challenges, some women were able to break the mold of subjugation to achieve at the least fame, if not independence. Here are six incredible Renaissance women who managed to overcome social and cultural limitations of their time and shaped the world around them and inspired others..

. . .. Louis of Savoy was a French noblewoman born in 1476. Her mother died when she was seven years old, and she was sent away to be educated by Anne of France, the powerful sister of King Charles VIII, who effectively ruled the country in her younger brother’s name. When she turned twelve, Louise married Charles de Valois, a nobleman and relation of the royal family. They had two children: Marguerite and Francis. Her husband died when Louise was just nineteen years old, and for the rest of her life she devoted herself to her son, who became the heir to the throne when the reigning monarchs failed to produce an heir..

. . .. . Louise of Savoy (1476–1531).

. . Caterina Sforza was born in 1463 the daughter of the future Duke of Milan and his mistress. She was raised in the court of Milan and received a classical education. In 1477, she married the pope’s nephew Girolamo Riario and moved to Rome. While they were living in Forlì in 1488, a territory recently granted to Riario by the pope, Catarina’s husband was murdered by a rival family, the Orsi. Along with her six children, Caterina was taken prisoner by the rebels. She managed to escape to the city’s fortress, which had refused to submit to the Orsi, and from there waited until her uncle’s forces from Milan arrived and helped her liberate Forlì..

. . . Caterina Sforza (1463–1509).

. . .. Isabella d’Este was the eldest daughter of the Duke of Ferrara, an important Italian city state during the Renaissance. She received a high-quality humanist education and was brought up with a keen appreciation of the arts. In 1490, she married Francesco Gonzaga, the future ruler of the nearby city state of Mantua. She is most remembered in history as an important patroness of the arts—she supported the likes of Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci—but equally interesting and less known is the role she played in governance..

. . .. . Isabella d’Este (1474–1539).

. . .. Catherine de Medici was born in 1519 in Florence, where she received an excellent education from nuns. When she was fourteen years old, her uncle, the pope, arranged for her to marry the King of France’s second son, Henri. When Henri’s elder brother died, he became heir to the throne. In 1547 he was crowned King Henry II, making Catherine the Queen of France. The beginning of her adult life saw hardship after hardship—she was continually subjected to her husband’s blatant affair with his mistress Diane de Poitiers, and for the first ten years of marriage, she struggled to produce an heir. Eventually, she had 10 children, including three sons..

. . .. Ili. Catherine de Medici (1519–1589).

. . .. Christine de Pisan, (born 1364, Venice [Italy]—died c. 1430), prolific and versatile French poet and author whose diverse writings include numerous poems of courtly love, a biography of Charles V of France, and several works championing women. Christine’s Italian father was astrologer to Charles V, and she spent a pleasant, studious childhood at the French court. At 15 she married Estienne de Castel, who became court secretary. Widowed after 10 years of marriage, she took up writing in order to support herself and her three young children..

. . .. . Christine de Pizan (1364-1430).

. . .. Marguerite of Navarre is one of the most important figures of the French Renaissance. Although we know that she was not the only educated woman to write and publish verse during this time, she was the first woman of French nobility to have many different works published. Born to the House of Valois, Marguerite was the sister of Francis I (King of France from 1515- 1547) and the queen consort of Henry II of Navarre. Marguerite was a celebrated Renaissance humanist like Isotta Nogarola, and a renowned author like Christine de Pizan..

. . . Her non-orthodox ideas earned her enemies in the court and the Faculty of Theology of the University of Paris, but her privileged status protected her from backlash–even when she bought and read forbidden texts..

. . .. . Marguerite of Navarre (1492-1549).

. . . Bibliography. 1. Four Fascinating Women from the Renaissance Who Ruled from Behind the Scenes.

. . .. Thank You!!.