The Formidable Women of Burgundy
Book •
Susan Abernethy's 'The Formidable Women of Burgundy' examines the lives and power of the duchesses and noblewomen who shaped Burgundian politics in the late Middle Ages.
The book traces how marriages, regencies, and individual agency allowed these women to govern territories, broker treaties, and influence succession across Western Europe.
Abernethy situates their actions within the economic and cultural context of the Burgundian state, highlighting court life, diplomacy, and dynastic networks.
Through biographies and narrative episodes, she demonstrates that women were central actors in creating and maintaining the Burgundian conglomerate.
The work reframes common assumptions about medieval female passivity by showing practical examples of female rulership and political maneuvering.
The book traces how marriages, regencies, and individual agency allowed these women to govern territories, broker treaties, and influence succession across Western Europe.
Abernethy situates their actions within the economic and cultural context of the Burgundian state, highlighting court life, diplomacy, and dynastic networks.
Through biographies and narrative episodes, she demonstrates that women were central actors in creating and maintaining the Burgundian conglomerate.
The work reframes common assumptions about medieval female passivity by showing practical examples of female rulership and political maneuvering.
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Eleanor Janega
Susan Abernethy
The Women Who Ruled Medieval Burgundy, and Europe
