''The Education'' (or ''Instruction'') ''of a Christian Woman'' was an early sixteenth-century book by Juan Luis Vives, written for the education of the future

Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. Sh ...

, precocious daughter of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

.p.467, Historical Dictionary of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, By Michael Mullett Written in 1523, the book was originally published in Latin with the title of ''De Institutione Feminae Christianae'' and was dedicated to

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously ...

. The work was translated into English by

Richard Hyrde Richard Hyrde or Hirt (died 1528) was an English humanist scholar, translator and tutor. He was closely associated with the household of Thomas More, and with the contemporary discussion of female education. He graduated at the University of Oxford ...

around 1529 becoming then known by the title ''Instruction of a Christian Woman''. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the work was popular in both the Catholic and Protestant communities. This treatise on female education is divided into three parts: Book I “Which Treats of Unmarried Young Women”, Book II “Which Treats of Married Women,” and Book III “On Widows.” Praised by

Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' wa ...

and Thomas More, Vives advocated education for all women, regardless of social class and ability. From childhood through adolescence to marriage and widowhood, this manual offers practical advice as well as philosophical meditation and was recognized soon after publication in 1524 as the most authoritative pronouncement on the universal education of women. Arguing that women were intellectually equal if not superior to men, Vives stressed intellectual companionship in marriage over procreation, and moved beyond the private sphere to show how women's progress was essential for the good of society and state.

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External links

* 1523 books 16th-century Latin books Education in England Books about education Catherine of Aragon Mary I of England Women and education {{Christian-book-stub