New Medieval Books: The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe - Medievalists.net

"The narrative will concentrate on the wives, daughters, sisters, nieces, granddaughters and other peripheral women who held fundamental positions of authority in the acquisition and government of the Valois Burgundian Dukes. Their wives proved to be energetic and capable, taking the reins of public affairs under a myriad of circumstances. They conducted negotiations, patronised artists, appointed their own people to ecclesiastical and other offices, accumulated estates and applied for taxes from the duke's subjects."

"This is by no means a complete list of all the royal and aristocratic women of the Burgundian era. The narrative will concentrate on the wives, daughters, sisters, nieces, granddaughters and other peripheral women who held fundamental positions of authority in the acquisition and government of the Valois Burgundian Dukes. This series of concise biographies, ranging from one to eight pages, provides a valuable guide to the queens, duchesses, and noblewomen associated with the Burgundian court-many of whom wielded influence across Western Europe."

More than forty royal and aristocratic women associated with the Burgundian court are profiled, spanning the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries. The focus rests on wives, daughters, sisters, nieces, granddaughters and other peripheral women who exercised authority in the acquisition and government of the Valois Burgundian dukes. These women conducted negotiations, patronised artists, appointed clients to ecclesiastical and civic offices, amassed estates, and levied taxes from ducal subjects. Influence and duties often passed to daughters and other female relatives who continued public governance and patronage. Concise biographies range from one to eight pages and serve as a reference for late medieval France and its courts.

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