Early Life and Background
Christine de Pizan was born in Venice in 1364 to Tommaso di Benvenuto da Pizzano, a physician and astrologer who served the court of King Charles V of France. At a young age, Christine moved to Paris with her family, where she received an education uncommon for women of her time, including training in Latin, rhetoric, philosophy, and literature.
Her early exposure to courtly life and intellectual culture shaped her worldview. At around age 15, Christine married Étienne du Castel, a royal secretary. The couple had three children. However, tragedy struck early: her husband died when Christine was only 25, leaving her a widow and responsible for supporting her family in a patriarchal society with very few options for women’s economic independence.
Career as a Writer and Intellectual
In the wake of her husband’s death, Christine turned to writing as a means of financial survival. Unlike many women of her time, who remained confined to domestic spheres, Christine became a professional author, producing poetry, prose, and political treatises for royal patrons and aristocrats.
Her early works were mostly conventional courtly poetry, but she gradually developed a more distinct and outspoken voice. Over her career, she wrote over 40 works on diverse subjects, including philosophy, history, biography, and moral advice, all notable for their erudition and literary quality. shutdown123