10 Women Who Ruled the Renaissance

By: Joyce Salisbury, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Joyce Salisbury

The 16th century was a time of immense change across the globe. For many historians, it marks a massive shift in the way the world operated; it is often considered the beginning of modernity. We may regard the 16th century as the time of Shakespeare and the conquistadors, but women also played a powerful role in many of the major events around the world.

In 10 Women Who Ruled the Renaissance, you will explore the lives of 10 extraordinary women who exemplified the spirit of the 1500s - an era dominated by adventure, discovery, and cross-cultural exchange. As you learn their stories, you will witness the landing of the Spanish in Mexico, travel across the steppes of Asia, sail on ships off the coast of Africa, and visit the courts of European power. From patrons and pirates to witches and wanderers, you will meet the women who helped to shape the modern world in their own unique ways. Some of these women, like Malinche of the Aztecs, have complicated legacies that demonstrate how the basic drive for survival shaped so much of human history. Although you may be familiar with larger-than-life figures like Queen Elizabeth I, many of these extraordinary women may be new to you.

Throughout this course, you will meet the individuals who broke with tradition to seek fame, wield power, and foster emerging artistic movements reflecting bold new ideas. At the same time, you will learn how a global commercial revolution brought unimagined wealth, changing rigid social structures that had been in place for hundreds of years. As you learn about women like Agnes Waterhouse, Ma Shouzen, Abbakka, and others, you will see a side of Renaissance life that textbooks often ignore, and you will come away with new respect for the trail-blazing women who have made their mark upon the world.

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Great lecture

This Great Courses was great. I learned things that I did not know. If you want to learn about women in the Renaissance this is the book or you.

Vivid history.

Love the narrator. Learned more history from this little book than from volumes of dry history textbooks. Vivid images of the past made me a witness of the events. Thank you.

Fascinating

How are there no movies about so many of these women. Absolutely worth a read (listen).

Short but good.

Overall, I really liked this. Unfortunately, because they’re women there’s really not enough information about them to go beyond just facts. You really never get a feeling for who they really were, because in history they were “ just women”.

Institutional

10 Women Who Ruled the Renaissance by Joyce Salisbury, The Great Courses, Audible original narrated by Joyce Salisbury, is vital and specific historical information. Some of the ten women I have never heard of in my life before. However, some are known famously, such as the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth. Unfortunately, not all women are Royalty, which was carefully discussed by the author, who happens to be a retired professor of history. Enslaved people (women), orphans, from Mexico conquest all around the world and the sixteenth century from the beginning of it till the end women's contribution to the rise of individualism is undoubtful.