Queens and Mistresses of Renaissance France

June 15, 2013

Interest in the private lives of young, attractive women intimately associated with wealthy, older men is not a new phenomenon. Drawing extensively from both primary and secondary sources, Wellman (history, Southern Methodist Univ.) introduces an exceptional set of women whose personal relationships with the most powerful men of the day defined not only their own lives but those of the people around them. Beginning in 1444, when Agnes Sorel became the official royal favorite of King Charles VII, continuing through the numerous influential women at the court of Francis I, and ending with the death of Gabrielle d'Estrees on the eve of her 1599 marriage to Henry IV, this chronicle details the lives of the women central to the development of French history and the Renaissance itself. Wellman's biographical assessments are filled out with impressions of these women by their contemporaries as well as by discussion of how each has been treated in past and recent history and iconography. In addition to maps and portraits, the author offers genealogical tables and time lines for further context. VERDICT It is a testament to Wellman's skills as a historian and writer that an exceedingly complex dynastic period is made both comprehensible and compelling. This will find a receptive audience among scholars of both French history and women's studies.--Linda Frederiksen, Washington State Univ. Lib., Vancouver

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