Most Wise & Valiant Ladies

A beautifully illustrated, engrossing account of the lives of six outstanding medieval women, "Most Wise & Valiant Ladies" features biographies of Hildegarde of Bingen, legendary abbess, scientist, and composer; Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen, crusader, and patron of the arts; Joan of Arc, visionary and warrior; Christine de Pisan, influential writer on the role of women; Margery Kempe, religious fanatic and pilgrim; and Margaret Paston, a middle-class wife and mother. 115 illustrations, 45 in color .