Twenty-Five Women Who Shaped the Italian Renaissance

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Organized as a series of engaging, thoroughly contextualized biographies, Twenty-Five Women Who Shaped the Italian Renaissance takes readers on a journey through early modern Italy that places women at the heart of the artistic and cultural developments of this transformative era.

Twenty-Five Women Who Shaped the Italian Renaissance takes readers on a journey through early modern Italy that places women at the heart of the artistic and cultural developments of this transformative era. Highlighted here are figures like Caterina Sforza, who defended her city against an invading army; Veronica Franco, the Venetian courtesan whose erotic verse enthralled Europe; Sofonisba Anguissola, acclaimed for her arresting portraits; Isabella Andreini, the original "prima donna" of Italian theater; and Margherita Sarrocchi, the epic poet and mathematics prodigy who corresponded with Galileo Galilei.

Though many of their names have been neglected by history, the artists, writers, performers, leaders, and feminists of Twenty-Five Women Who Shaped the Italian Renaissance overcame daunting obstacles to find their own voices. Excluded from the educational opportunities granted to men, often compelled into arranged marriages or confined to the convent, and subject to ingrained hostility toward female sexuality, each dared to challenge entrenched ideas about what a woman should or could do or be. Springing from a range of backgrounds and circumstances, these women defied conventions about the "proper" place of their sex to make their own mark on the Renaissance.

The perfect resource for anyone wishing to broaden their understanding of the Renaissance and early modern women.

Obsah

Introduction: Hidden Histories

Part One: Politics and Power Brokers

1. Lucrezia Tornabuoni (1427-1482): Medici Matriarch

2. Caterina Sforza (c. 1463–1509): Countess, Warrior, Alchemist

3. Isabella d’Este (1474-1539): Diplomat and Tastemaker

4. Lucrezia Borgia (1480-1519): Entrepreneur from Italy’s Most Controversial Family

5. Bona Sforza (1494-1557): Italian Queen of Poland

Part Two: Poets, Reformers, and Courtesans

6. Vittoria Colonna (1490?–1547): Divine Poet, Michelangelo’s Mentor

7 Lucrezia Gonzaga (1522–1576): Epistolary Icon and Religious Dissident

8 Olimpia Morata (1526–1555): Humanist and Heretic

9 Laura Terracina (1519–c.1577): Bestselling Author, Defender of Women

10. Veronica Franco (1546-1591): Celebrity Courtesan

Part Three: Musicians, Composers, and Performers

11. Gaspara Stampa (1523-1544): Renaissance Sappho

12. Tarquinia Molza (1542-1617): Virtuosa and Philosopher

13. Isabella Andreini (1562-1604): Diva of Stage and Page

14. Francesca Caccini (1587–post-1641): Opera’s Star at the Medici Court

15. Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677): Trailblazing Composer

Part Four: Artists and Scientists

16. Sofonisba Anguissola (c.1532-1625): Portraitist to Kings

17. Lavinia Fontana (1552–1614): Pioneering Professional Artist

18. Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1656?): Fearless Painter, Feminist Icon

19 Camilla Erculiani (d. post-1584):Pharmacist-Philosopher

20 Margherita Sarrocchi (c. 1560–1617): Reader of the Stars, Galileo’s Correspondent

Part Five: Renaissance Feminists

21 Laudomia Forteguerri (1515–1555?): Queer Poet, Civic Hero

22. Moderata Fonte (1555-1592): Visionary of Equality for Women

23 Lucrezia Marinella (1571?–1653): Champion of Women’s History

24 Sarra Copia Sulam (1592–1641): Poet and Polemicist in Venice’s Jewish Ghetto

25. Arcangela Tarabotti (1604-1652): Radical Nun, Feminist Force

Notes and Further Reading

Dates of Reign

Acknowledgments

Index