''De Mulieribus Claris'' or ''De Claris Mulieribus'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

for "Concerning Famous Women") is a collection of biographies of historical and mythological women by the Florentine author

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio (, , ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was som ...

, composed in Latin prose in 1361–1362. It is notable as the first collection devoted exclusively to biographies of women in post-ancient Western literature. At the same time as he was writing ''On Famous Women'', Boccaccio also compiled a collection of biographies of famous men,'' De Casibus Virorum Illustrium'' (''On the Fates of Famous Men'').

Purpose

Boccaccio claimed to have written the 106 biographies for the posterity of the women who were considered renowned, whether good or bad. He believed that recounting the deeds of certain women who may have been wicked would be offset by the exhortations to virtue by the deeds of good women. He writes in his presentation of this combination of all types of women that he hoped it would encourage virtue and curb vice.

Overview

The author declares in the preface that this collection of 106 short biographies (104 chapters) of women is the first example in Western literature devoted solely and exclusively to women. Some of the lost works of

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; c. AD 69 – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τ� ...

' "illustrious people" and Boccaccio's '' De Casibus Virorum Illustrium'' are a mixture of women and men, where others like

Petrarch Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited ...

's ''

De Viris Illustribus ''De Viris Illustribus'', meaning "concerning illustrious men", represents a genre of literature which evolved during the Italian Renaissance in imitation of the exemplary literature of Ancient Rome. It inspired the widespread commissioning of ...

'' and

Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...

's ''

'' are biographies of exclusively men. Boccaccio himself even says this work was inspired and modeled on Petrarch's ''De Viris Illustribus''.

Development

Woodcut illustration of the death of Harmonia of Syracuse and her body double - Penn Provenance Project

Boccaccio wrote this work in Certaldo probably between the summer of 1361 and the summer of 1362, although it could have been as late as December 1362. He dedicated his work to Andrea Acciaioli, Countess of Altavilla, in Naples at the end of 1362 even though he continued to revise it up until his death in 1375. She was not his first choice however. He first considered to dedicate his ''slim volume'' to Joanna I of Naples. He ultimately decided that his work as a ''little book'' was not worthy a person of such great fame. There are over 100 surviving manuscripts which shows that the ''De Mulieribus Claris'' was "among the most popular works in the last age of the manuscript book". Boccaccio worked on this as a labor of love with several versions, editions, and rearrangements in the last twenty years or so of his life: studies have identified at least nine stages in its composition. In the last part of the 14th century after Boccaccio died, a Donato degli Albanzani had a copy that his friend Boccaccio gave him and translated it from Latin into Italian.

Content

The 106 ''Famous Women'' biographies are of mythological and historical women, as well as some of Boccaccio's Renaissance contemporaries. The brief life stories follow the same general exemplary literature patterns used in various versions of

De viris illustribus ''De Viris Illustribus'', meaning "concerning illustrious men", represents a genre of literature which evolved during the Italian Renaissance in imitation of the exemplary literature of Ancient Rome. It inspired the widespread commissioning of ...

. The biography pattern starts with the name of the person, then the parents or ancestors, then their rank or social position, and last the general reason for their notoriety or fame with associated details. This is sometimes interjected with a philosophical or inspirational lesson at the end. The only sources that Boccaccio specifically says he used are Saint Paul (no. 42), the Bible (no. 43) and Jerome (no. 86). The wording of the biographies themselves, however, provide hints about where he obtained his information. He clearly had access to works of the classical authors Valerius Maximus, Pliny,

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom ...

, Statius,

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...

Lactantius Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius (c. 250 – c. 325) was an early Christian author who became an advisor to Roman emperor, Constantine I, guiding his Christian religious policy in its initial stages of emergence, and a tutor to his son Cri ...

Orosius Paulus Orosius (; born 375/385 – 420 AD), less often Paul Orosius in English, was a Roman priest, historian and theologian, and a student of Augustine of Hippo. It is possible that he was born in ''Bracara Augusta'' (now Braga, Portugal), t ...

, and Justinus.

Influence

Boccaccio's collection of female biographies inspired characters in

Christine de Pizan Christine de Pizan or Pisan (), born Cristina da Pizzano (September 1364 – c. 1430), was an Italian poet and court writer for King Charles VI of France and several French dukes. Christine de Pizan served as a court writer in medieval France ...

's '' The Book of the City of Ladies'' (1405) In the early part of the 15th century Antonio di S. Lupidio made a ''volgare'' translation and Laurent de Premierfait published it in French as ''Des cleres et nobles femmes''. Boccaccio's biographies also inspired Alvaro de Luna's ''De las virtuosas y claras mujeres'', Thomas Elyot's ''Defence of Good Women'', Alonso of Cartagena's ''De las mujeres ilustres'', Giovanni Sabbadino degli Arienti's ''Gynevera de la clare donne'', Iacopo Filippo Foresti's ''De plurimis claris selectisque mulierbus'' and Jean Lemaire's ''Couronne margaritique''. In England,

Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser (; 1552/1553 – 13 January 1599) was an English poet best known for '' The Faerie Queene'', an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen o ...

used Boccaccio's ''De Mulieribus Claris'' as inspiration and the famous women influenced

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...

's ''

Legend of Good Women ''The Legend of Good Women'' is a poem in the form of a dream vision by Geoffrey Chaucer during the fourteenth century. The poem is the third longest of Chaucer's works, after ''The Canterbury Tales'' and ''Troilus and Criseyde'', and is possib ...

'' and ''

The Canterbury Tales ''The Canterbury Tales'' ( enm, Tales of Caunterbury) is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is widely regarded as Chaucer's '' magnum opus ...

'' (1387-1400). In 1494 an anonymous Spanish translation, ''Johan Bocacio De las mujeres ilustres en romance'', was published at Zaragoza by Paulo Hurus. In the beginning of the 16th century a Henry Parker translated about half into English and dedicated it to

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. In the 16th century, new Italian translations by

Luca Antonio Ridolfi The last universal common ancestor (LUCA) is the most recent population from which all organisms now living on Earth share common descent—the most recent common ancestor of all current life on Earth. This includes all cellular organisms; th ...

and Giuseppe Betussi were published. In Germany ''De Mulieribus Claris'' was widely distributed as

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced i ...

. The first printed book of the Latin language original was produced in the workshop of

Johann Zainer Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name '' Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious" ...

and was published decorated with

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas tha ...

miniatures in 1473. This 1473 edition was the first Latin version printed. The only complete 16th century printed Latin version to survive is from a Mathias Apiarus done around 1539. The German translation by

Heinrich Steinhöwel Heinrich Steinhöwel (also ''Steinhäuel'' or ''Steinheil''; 1412 – 1482) was a Swabian author, humanist, and translator who was much inspired by the Italian Renaissance. His translations of medical treatises and fiction were an important cont ...

was printed and published also by Zainer in 1474. The book became so popular that in the subsequent hundred years the Steinhöwel translation was republished in six editions. Steinhöwel had added geographic relevance, by placing the

Amazons In Greek mythology, the Amazons (Ancient Greek: Ἀμαζόνες ''Amazónes'', singular Ἀμαζών ''Amazōn'', via Latin ''Amāzon, -ŏnis'') are portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercule ...

Swabia Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...

The famous women

Woodcut illustration of Cleopatra and Mark Antony - Penn Provenance Project

*1. Eve, the first woman in the Bible *2. Semiramis, queen of the Assyrians *3. Opis, wife of Saturn *4. Juno, goddess of the Kingdoms *5. Ceres, goddess of the harvest and queen of Sicily *6.

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the R ...

*7.

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

, queen of Cyprus *8.

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...

, queen and goddess of Egypt *9.

Europa Europa may refer to: Places * Europe * Europa (Roman province), a province within the Diocese of Thrace * Europa (Seville Metro), Seville, Spain; a station on the Seville Metro * Europa City, Paris, France; a planned development * Europa Clif ...

, queen of Crete *10.

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

, queen of Libya *11 and 12. Marpesia and Lampedo, queens of the Amazons *13.

Thisbe Pyramus and Thisbe are a pair of ill-fated lovers whose story forms part of Ovid's ''Metamorphoses''. The story has since been retold by many authors. Pyramus and Thisbe are two lovers in the city of Babylon who occupy connected houses. Their ...

, a Babylonian maiden *14. Hypermnestra, queen of the Argives and priestess of Juno *15.

Niobe In Greek mythology, Niobe (; grc-gre, Νιόβη ) was a daughter of Tantalus and of either Dione (mythology), Dione, the most frequently cited, or of Eurythemista or Euryanassa, the wife of Amphion and the sister of Pelops and Broteas. Her ...

, queen of Thebes *16.

Hypsipyle In Greek mythology, Hypsipyle ( Ancient Greek: Ὑψιπύλη) was a queen of Lemnos, and the daughter of King Thoas of Lemnos, and the granddaughter of Dionysus and Ariadne. When the women of Lemnos killed all the males on the island, Hypsip ...

, queen of Lemnos *17.

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jaso ...

, queen of Colchis *18. Arachne of Colophon *19 and 20.

Orithyia In Greek mythology, Orithyia or Oreithyia (; el, Ὠρείθυια ''Ōreithuia''; la, Ōrīthyia) was the name of the following women: *Orithyia or Orythya, the Nereid of raging seas and one of the 50 marine-nymph daughters of the 'Old Man of th ...

and Antiope, queens of the Amazons *21. Erythraea or Heriphile, a

Sibyl The sibyls (, singular ) were prophetesses or oracles in Ancient Greece. The sibyls prophesied at holy sites. A sibyl at Delphi has been dated to as early as the eleventh century BC by PausaniasPausanias 10.12.1 when he described local trad ...

*22. Medusa, daughter of Phorcus *23. Iole, daughter of the king of the Aetolians *24.

Deianira Deianira, Deïanira, or Deianeira (; Ancient Greek: Δηϊάνειρα, ''Dēiáneira'', or , ''Dēáneira'', ), also known as Dejanira, is a Calydonian princess in Greek mythology whose name translates as "man-destroyer" or "destroyer of her hu ...

, wife of Hercules *25.

Jocasta In Greek mythology, Jocasta (), also rendered Iocaste ( grc, Ἰοκάστη ) and also known as Epicaste (; ), was a daughter of Menoeceus, a descendant of the Spartoi Echion, and queen consort of Thebes. She was the wife of first Laius, ...

, queen of Thebes *26. Almathea or Deiphebe, a

*27.

Nicostrata In Religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion and Roman mythology, myth, Carmenta was a goddess of childbirth and prophecy, associated with technological innovation as well as the protection of mothers and children and a patron of midwif ...

, or

Carmenta In ancient Roman religion and myth, Carmenta was a goddess of childbirth and prophecy, associated with technological innovation as well as the protection of mothers and children and a patron of midwives. She was also said to have invented the ...

, daughter of King Ionius *28.

Procris In Greek mythology, Procris ( grc, Πρόκρις, ''gen''.: Πρόκριδος) was an Athenian princess as the third daughter of Erechtheus, king of Athens and his wife, Praxithea, daughter of Phrasimus and Diogeneia. Homer mentions her in ...

, wife of Cephalus *29.

Argia ''Argia'' is a genus of damselflies of the family Coenagrionidae and of the subfamily Argiinae. It is a diverse genus which contains about 114 species and many more to be described. It is also the largest genus in Argiinae. They are found in ...

, wife of Polynices and daughter of King Adrastus *30.

Manto may refer to: People * Mando (singer) Adamantia Stamatopoulou ( el, Αδαμαντία Σταματοπούλου; born 13 April 1966), known as Mando ( el, links=no, Μαντώ), is a Greek singer. She was born and raised in Athens by her ...

, daughter of Tiresias *31. The wives of the Minyans *32. Penthesilea, queen of the Amazons *33. Polyxena, daughter of King Priam *34. Hecuba, queen of the Trojans *35. Cassandra, daughter of King Priam of Troy *36. Clytemnestra, queen of Mycenae *37.

Helen of Troy Helen of Troy, Helen, Helena, (Ancient Greek: Ἑλένη ''Helénē'', ) also known as beautiful Helen, Helen of Argos, or Helen of Sparta, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believe ...

, whose abduction by

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

began the

Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans ( Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and ...

*38.

Circe Circe (; grc, , ) is an enchantress and a minor goddess in ancient Greek mythology and religion. She is either a daughter of the Titan Helios and the Oceanid nymph Perse or the goddess Hecate and Aeëtes. Circe was renowned for her vas ...

, daughter of the Sun *39. Camilla, queen of the Volscians *40. Penelope, wife of Ulysses *41.

Lavinia In Roman mythology, Lavinia ( ; ) is the daughter of Latinus and Amata, and the last wife of Aeneas. Creation It has been proposed that the character was in part intended to represent Servilia Isaurica, Emperor Augustus's first fiancée. Sto ...

, queen of Laurentum *42. Dido, or Elissa, queen of Carthage *43. Nicaula, queen of Ethiopia *44.

Pamphile Pamphile ( el, Παμφίλη), ''Panphyle, Plateae filia'' or ''Latoi filia'', was the daughter of Platea, or of Apollo (Latous),Longman, 1827 ''Classical Manual; or, a mythological, historical, and geographical commentary on Pope's Homer and D ...

, daughter of Platea *45. Rhea Ilia, a Vestal Virgin *46. Gaia Cyrilla (Tanaquil), wife of King Tarquinius Priscus *47.

Sappho Sappho (; el, Σαπφώ ''Sapphō'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; c. 630 – c. 570 BC) was an Archaic Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her Greek lyric, lyric poetry, written to be sung while ...

, woman of Lesbos and poet *48. Lucretia, wife of Collatinus *49. Tamyris, queen of Scythia *50.

Leaena Leaina ( grc-gre, Λέαινα, "lioness") is a pseudo-historical figure, supposedly a hetaera and, according to a later tradition, the Mistress (lover), mistress of Aristogeiton the Tyrannicide. Original versions of the story of Aristogeiton p ...

, a courtesan *51.

Athaliah Athaliah ( el, Γοθολία ''Gotholía''; la, Athalia) was the daughter of either king Omri, or of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of Israel, the queen consort of Judah as the wife of King Jehoram, a descendant of King David, and later quee ...

, queen of Jerusalem *52. Cloelia, a Roman maiden *53. Hippo, a Greek woman *54. Megullia Dotata *55.

Veturia Veturia was a Roman matron, the mother of the possibly legendary Roman general Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus. According to Plutarch her name was Volumnia. Veturia came from a patrician family and encouraged her son's involvement in Roman politics. A ...

, a Roman matron *56. Thamyris, daughter of Micon *57. A conflation of Artemisia II and Artemisia I, queens of Caria *58. Verginia, virgin and daughter of Virginius *59. Eirene, daughter of Cratinus *60. Leontium *61.

Olympias Olympias ( grc-gre, Ὀλυμπιάς; c. 375–316 BC) was a Greek princess of the Molossians, and the eldest daughter of king Neoptolemus I of Epirus, the sister of Alexander I of Epirus, the fourth wife of Philip II, the king of Macedoni ...

, queen of Macedonia *62. Claudia, a Vestal Virgin *63.

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

, wife of Lucius Volumnius *64.

Flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring ( indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. ...

, goddess of flowers and wife of Zephyrus *65. A young Roman woman *66. Marcia, daughter of Varro *67. Sulpicia, wife of Quintus Fulvius Flaccus *68.

Harmonia In Greek mythology, Harmonia (; grc, Ἁρμονία / harmoˈnia/, "harmony", "agreement") is the immortal goddess of harmony and concord. Her Roman counterpart is Concordia. Her Greek opposite is Eris, whose Roman counterpart is Discordi ...

, daughter of Gelon, son of Hiero II of Syracuse *69.

Busa of Canosa di Puglia Life After the battle of Cannae in 216 BC, when Hannibal obliterated most of the Roman forces, there were about 10,000 men who escaped Hannibal's bloodbath by secretly leaving the area by backroads at night. The fugitives who arrived in Canusium ...

*70. Sophonisba, queen of Numidia *71. Theoxena, daughter of Prince Herodicus *72. Berenice, queen of Cappadocia *73.

The Wife of Orgiagon the Galatian Chiomara (2nd-century BC) was a Galatian noblewoman and the wife of Orgiagon, chieftain of the Tectosagi, one of three Galatian tribes during the Galatian War with Rome, of 189 BC. During this war Gnaeus Manlius Vulso was victorious in a cam ...

*74. Tertia Aemilia, wife of the elder Africanus *75.

Dripetrua Drypetina, ''Dripetrua'' (died c. 66 BC) was a devoted daughter of King Mithridates VI of Pontus and his sister-wife Laodice. Biography Her name is the diminutive form of the name of Drypetis, daughter of the Achaemenid king Darius III. She h ...

, queen of Laodice *76. Sempronia, daughter of Gracchus *77. Claudia Quinta, a Roman woman *78.

Hypsicratea Hypsicratea or Hypsikrateia (flourished 63 BC), was the concubine, and perhaps wife, of King Mithridates VI of Pontus. Life Nothing is known of the family background of Hypsicratea, although it has been noted that her name suggests that her fam ...

, Queen of Pontus *79. Sempronia, a Roman Woman *80. The Wives of the

Cimbrian Cimbrian ( cim, zimbar, links=no, ; german: Zimbrisch; it, cimbro) refers to any of several local Upper German varieties spoken in northeastern Italy. The speakers of the language are known as ''Zimbern'' in German. Cimbrian is a Germanic ...

s *81. Julia, daughter of the dictator Julius Caesar *82.

Portia Portia may refer to: Biology * ''Portia'' (spider), a genus of jumping spiders *'' Anaea troglodyta'' or Portia, a brush-footed butterfly *Portia tree, a plant native to Polynesia Medication A form of birth control made of ethinylestradiol/lev ...

, daughter of Cato Uticensis *83.

Curia Curia (Latin plural curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally likely had wider powers, they came ...

, wife of Quintus Lucretius *84. Hortensia, daughter of Quintus Hortensius *85. Sulpicia, wife of Cruscellio *86.

Cornificia Cornificia (c. 85 BCc. 40 BC) was a Roman poet and writer of epigrams of the 1st century BC. Life Cornificia belongs to the last generation of the Roman Republic.Stevenson, Jane: ''Women Latin Poets: Language, Gender, and Authority from Antiqui ...

, a poet *87. Mariamme, queen of Judaea *88.

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

, queen of Egypt *89.

Antonia Antonia may refer to: People * Antonia (name), including a list of people with the name * Antonia gens, a Roman family, any woman of the gens was named ''Antonia'' * Antônia (footballer) * Antônia Melo Entertainment * ''Antonia's Line'', ori ...

, daughter of Antony *90.

Agrippina Agrippina is an ancient Roman cognomen and a feminine given name. People with either the cognomen or the given name include: Cognomen Relatives of the Roman general Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa: * Vipsania Agrippina (36 BC–20 AD), first wife of the ...

, wife of Germanicus *91. Paulina, a Roman woman *92.

, mother of the Emperor Nero *93. Epicharis, a freedwoman *94. Pompeia Paulina, wife of Seneca *95. Poppaea Sabina, wife of Nero *96. Triaria, wife of Lucius Vitellius *97. Proba, wife of Adelphus *98. Faustina Augusta *99. Symiamira, woman of Emesa *100.

Zenobia Septimia Zenobia ( Palmyrene Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; AD 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner and she married the ruler of the cit ...

, queen of Palmyra *101.

Joan Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *: Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multip ...

, an Englishwoman and Pope *102.

Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United State ...

, Empress of Constantinople *103. Gualdrada, a Florentine maiden *104. Constance, Empress of Rome and queen of Sicily *105. Camiola, a Sienese widow *106. Joanna, queen of Jerusalem and Sicily

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Purpose

Overview

Development

Content

Influence

The famous women

References

Citations

Bibliography

Further reading

Primary sources

Secondary sources

External links