he was grown, and he was invested by her with the
crown and honor of the kingdom, which never would
have happened if she had not been so prudent.
I A3.2
“ Similarly, the same can be said of the most wise and
in every instance virtuous and noble Queen Blanche,
m other o f Saint Louis, who governed the kingdom of
France while her son was a minor so nobly and so
prudently that it was never better ruled by any man.
Even when he was grown, she was still the head o f his
council because o f her experience o f wise government,
nor was anything done w ithout her, and she even fol
lowed her son to war.
IA3.3
“ I could tell you countless other examples which I
will omit for brevity’s sake. But since we have started
speaking about the ladies o f France, we do not need to
go any further to seek examples from history: you your
self saw in childhood Queen Jeanne, widow o f King
Charles, the fourth o f that name. As you recall her,
remember this lady’s good deeds to which her fame
attests, as much in the noble arrangem ent o f her court
as in both customs and the maintenance o f sovereign
justice. Never has any prince been as renowned as this
lady for having so upheld justice and preserved her land’s
prerogatives.
1.13.4
“ Her noble daughter who married the duke o f Orléans,
son o f King Philip, resembled her a great deal. During
her widowhood which lasted a long time, she maintained
justice in her country with such righteousness that more
could not have been done.
1.13.5
“ Likewise Blanche, queen o f France, late wife o f
King John, ruled and governed her land with great order
of law and justice.
1.13.6
“W hat can one say o f the valiant and wise duchess
of Anjou, late daughter o f Saint Charles o f Blois, duke of
Brittany, and late wife o f the second oldest brother of
the wise King Charles o f France, who was then king of
Sicily? How well did this lady hold her lands and countries
under the firm rod of justice— as much in Provence as
The Book o f the City o f Ladies
34
elsewhere— which she governed and kept in hand on
behalf o f her most noble children as long as they were
minors! How greatly is this lady to be praised in all
virtues! During her youth she was o f such supreme beauty
that she surpassed all other ladies, and o f most perfect
chastity and wisdom, and in her m aturity, of most great
government and sovereign prudence and force and con
stancy o f heart, as became apparent when, for a short
time after her lord’s death in Italy, his entire fief of
Provence rebelled against her and her noble children.
But this noble lady worked and strove so hard that either
through force or negotiation she restored the entire land
to obedience and allegiance. So well did she maintain
the order o f law in that country that a single outcry or
complaint o f the slightest injustice which she might have
committed was never heard.
“ I could tell you much about other ladies o f France I A3.7
who, as widows, governed themselves and their juris
dictions with fairness and justice. The countess o f La
M arche, lady and countess o f Vendôme and o f Castres,
and a most great landowner, who is still alive— w hat can
one say o f her government? Does she not wish to know
how and in w hat way her own justice is upheld? And she
herself, as a good and wise ruler, takes an avid interest
in this whole question. W hat should I tell you? I assure
you that the same can be said o f a great many women,
whether from the upper, middle, or low er class, who, as
anyone who wishes to pay attention can clearly see, have
maintained and maintain their dominions in as good
condition as did their husbands during their lifetime and
who are as well-loved by their subjects. There are better
examples, too, for there can be no doubt— no offense to
men, certainly— that although there are ignorant women,
there are many women who have better minds and a
more active sense of prudence and judgm ent than most
men— isn’t it so?— and if their husbands would believe
them or would have equal sense, it would be a great boon
and profit for them.
35
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