The Hundred Ballads of Christine de Pisan

Pisan, Christine de (1364–c.1430), translated by Kline, A. S. (contact-email)

An English translation of the early love poetry of Christine de Pisan - The Hundred Ballads (Cent Ballades), published c1399. Christine de Pisan (or Pizan, 1364-c1430), born Christina de Pizzano, was a poet and author at the court of Charles VI of France. Her Italian father moved to Paris as Court astrologer to Charles V, and she married, in 1379, a notary and royal secretary, Etienne du Castel, who died of the plague in 1389, her father having died the previous year. She wrote a number of works on the situation of women, in particular The Book of the City of Women (Le Livre de la Cité des Dames, 1405) and The Treasure of the City of Women (properly Le Livre des Trois Vertus, 1405). The Hundred Ballads reveals her early poetry, primarily on the subject of love, though her pre-occupation with virtue and justice is already apparent, forming part of her later extended critique of the courts, nobility and attitudes of her age.

Author Details

Christine de Pizan, born Cristina da Pizzano in September 1364 in Venice, Italy, was a prominent French poet and court writer. Her father, Tommaso di Benvenuto da Pizzano, served as a physician and astrologer at the Venetian court before moving, four months after the birth of his daughter, to the court of Charles V of France in 1368. In 1379, Christine married Etienne du Castel, a notary and royal secretary. They had three children, including a daughter who joined the Dominican convent of Poissy in 1397.

After the deaths of her husband and father in 1389, Christine faced financial challenges, prompting her to become a court writer. Her work attracted the attention of the aristocracy including Louis I of Orleans and Philip the Bold of Burgundy. Renowned as an early feminist, Christine was the author of novels, poetry, biographies, and various analyses. Two of her most notable prose works are "The Book of the City of Ladies" and "The Treasure of the City of Ladies," both written during her tenure under John the Fearless of Burgundy.

Her later years were marked by significant contributions to the literary and political discourse of the time, engaging in controversies and publishing works reflecting her French nationalism. She died around 1430, leaving her legacy as the first professional woman of letters in Europe.

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Kline, A. S.

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