Step back in time to the life of Antoinette de Maignelais (1434?–1474) to read a tale of love and intrigue. She was mistress of Duke François II of Brittany (1461-1474). A little-known figure otherwise, her importance lies in her role as the the duke’s favorite and mistress. Their illicit (to our eyes) affair left an
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The 16th century in France saw big changes in intellectual life, culture, religion, and politics, for both women and men. Italian influences brought new ideas in humanism, arts, architecture, and literature. Like men, women writers and thinkers began to explore ideas about the dignity and potential of the individual, reflecting the influence of humanism. At
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In 1519 Françoise de Foix became the first official mistress to King François 1. Countess Françoise de Chateaubriant, an exceptional beauty, was already married. Her husband, Jean de Laval, Count de Chateaubriant, did not take it well, being a jealous man and head of a leading Breton family. But François was king when royal power
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4 novels about Diane de Poitiers, one of France’s powerful French royal mistress are available now. French Royal Mistresses were powerful women. From Agnes Sorel, the first official royal mistress, each royal wife tolerated one or more accepted mistresses. Diane de Poitiers mistress of King Henri II, was Catherine’s de Medici’s great rival. A description
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