''De Mulieribus Claris'' or ''De Claris Mulieribus'' (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for "Concerning Famous Women") is a collection of biographies of historical and mythological women by the Florentine author

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian people, Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanism, Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so ...

, composed in Latin prose in 1361–1362. It is the first collection devoted exclusively to biographies of women in post-ancient Western literature. At the same time as he was writing ''On Famous Women'', Boccaccio also compiled a collection of biographies of famous men,'' De Casibus Virorum Illustrium'' (''On the Fates of Famous Men'').

The famous women

Woodcut illustration of Cleopatra and Mark Antony - Penn Provenance Project

*1.

Eve Eve is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop through oral traditions and there ...

, the first woman in the Bible *2.

Semiramis Semiramis (; ''Šammīrām'', ''Šamiram'', , ''Samīrāmīs'') was the legendary Lydian- Babylonian wife of Onnes and of Ninus, who succeeded the latter on the throne of Assyria, according to Movses Khorenatsi. Legends narrated by Diodorus ...

, queen of the Assyrians *3. Opis, wife of Saturn *4. Juno, goddess of the Kingdoms *5. Ceres, goddess of the harvest and queen of Sicily *6.

Minerva Minerva (; ; ) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars. Be ...

, Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy *7.

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

, queen of Cyprus *8.

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

, queen and goddess of Egypt *9. Europa, queen of Crete *10.

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

, queen of Libya *11 and 12. Marpesia and Lampedo, queens of the Amazons *13. Thisbe, a Babylonian maiden *14. Hypermnestra, queen of the Argives and priestess of Juno *15.

Niobe Niobe (; : Nióbē) was in Greek mythology a daughter of Tantalus and of either Dione or of Eurythemista or Euryanassa. She was the wife of Amphion and the sister of Pelops and Broteas. Niobe is mentioned by Achilles in Homer's ''Iliad ...

, queen of Thebes *16. Hypsipyle, queen of Lemnos *17.

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

, queen of Colchis and lover of Jason in the "Argonautica" *18. Arachne of Colophon *19 and 20. Orithyia and Antiope, queens of the Amazons *21. Erythraea or Heriphile, a

Sibyl The sibyls were prophetesses or oracles in Ancient Greece. The sibyls prophet, prophesied at holy sites. A sibyl at Delphi has been dated to as early as the eleventh century BC by Pausanias (geographer), PausaniasPausanias 10.12.1 when he desc ...

*22.

Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; ), also called Gorgo () or the Gorgon, was one of the three Gorgons. Medusa is generally described as a woman with living snakes in place of hair; her appearance was so hideous that anyone who looked upon her wa ...

, daughter of Phorcus *23.

Iole In Greek mythology, Iole (; ) was the daughter of King Eurytus of Oechalia. According to the brief epitome in the ''Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus), Bibliotheca'', Eurytus had a beautiful young daughter named Iole who was eligible for marriage ...

, daughter of the king of the Aetolians *24. Deianira, wife of Hercules *25. Jocasta, queen of Thebes *26. Amaltheia or Deiphebe, a

*27. Nicostrata, or Carmenta, daughter of King Ionius *28.

Procris In Greek mythology, Procris (, ''gen''.: Πρόκριδος) was an Athenian princess, the third daughter of Erechtheus, king of Athens and his wife, Praxithea. Homer mentions her in the ''Odyssey'' as one of the many dead spirits Odysseus sa ...

, wife of Cephalus *29. Argia, wife of Polynices and daughter of King Adrastus *30. Manto, daughter of Tiresias *31. The wives of the

Minyans In Greek mythology, the Minyans or Minyae ( Greek: Μινύες, ''Minyes'') were a group of legendary people who were the inhabitants of the city Orchomenus in Boeotia, and who were also associated with Thessaly. They were named after their ...

*32. Penthesilea, queen of the Amazons *33. Polyxena, daughter of King Priam *34.

Hecuba Hecuba (; also Hecabe; , ) was a queen in Greek mythology, the wife of King Priam of Troy during the Trojan War. Description Hecuba was described by the chronicler John Malalas, Malalas in his account of the ''Chronography'' as "dark, good eyes ...

, queen of the Trojans *35.

Cassandra Cassandra or Kassandra (; , , sometimes referred to as Alexandra; ) in Greek mythology was a Trojan priestess dedicated to the god Apollo and fated by him to utter true prophecy, prophecies but never to be believed. In modern usage her name is e ...

, daughter of King Priam of Troy *36. Clytemnestra, queen of Mycenae *37.

Helen of Troy Helen (), also known as Helen of Troy, or Helen of Sparta, and in Latin as Helena, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believed to have been the daughter of Zeus and Leda (mythology), ...

, whose abduction by

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

began the

Trojan War The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...

*38.

Circe In Greek mythology, Circe (; ) is an enchantress, sometimes considered a goddess or a nymph. In most accounts, Circe is described as the daughter of the sun god Helios and the Oceanid Perse (mythology), Perse. Circe was renowned for her vast kn ...

, daughter of the Sun *39. Camilla, queen of the Volscians *40.

Penelope Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or , ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Homer's Ithaca, Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius (Spartan), Icarius and ...

, wife of Ulysses *41.

Lavinia In Roman mythology, Lavinia ( ; ) is the daughter of Latinus and Amata, and the last wife of Aeneas. Creation It has been proposed that the character was in part intended to represent Servilia Isaurica, Emperor Augustus's first fiancée. Story ...

, queen of Laurentum *42.

Dido Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in Tunisia), in 814 BC. In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (located ...

, or Elissa, queen of Carthage *43. Nicaula, queen of Ethiopia *44. Pamphile, daughter of Platea *45. Rhea Ilia, a Vestal Virgin *46. Gaia Cyrilla (Tanaquil), wife of King Tarquinius Priscus *47.

Sappho Sappho (; ''Sapphṓ'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; ) was an Ancient Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her lyric poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by music. In ancient times, Sapph ...

, poet from the island of Lesbos *48. Lucretia, wife of Collatinus *49. Tamyris, queen of Scythia *50. Leaena, a courtesan who was tortured to death by the dictator Hippias *51.

Athaliah Athaliah ( ''Gotholía''; ) was the daughter of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of Israel; she was queen consort of kingdom of Judah, Judah as the wife of Jehoram of Judah, King Jehoram, a descendant of King David, and was later queen regnant c. 84 ...

, queen of Jerusalem *52. Cloelia, a Roman maiden *53. Hippo, a Greek woman *54. Megullia Dotata *55. Veturia, a Roman matron *56.

Thamyris In Greek mythology, Thamyris (Ancient Greek: Θάμυρις, ''Thámuris'') was a Thrace, Thracian singer. He is notable in Greek mythology for reportedly being a lover of Hyacinth (mythology), Hyacinth and thus to have been the first male to hav ...

, daughter of Micon *57. A conflation of Artemisia II and Artemisia I, queens of Caria *58. Verginia, virgin and daughter of Virginius *59. Eirene, daughter of Cratinus *60. Leontium *61.

Olympias Olympias (; c. 375–316 BC) was a Ancient Greeks, Greek princess of the Molossians, the eldest daughter of king Neoptolemus I of Epirus, the sister of Alexander I of Epirus, the fourth wife of Philip of Macedon, Philip II, the king of Macedonia ...

, queen of Macedonia *62. Claudia, a Vestal Virgin *63.

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, wife of Lucius Volumnius *64.

Flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

, goddess of flowers and wife of Zephyrus *65. A young Roman woman *66. Marcia, daughter of Varro *67. Sulpicia, wife of Quintus Fulvius Flaccus *68.

Harmonia In Greek mythology, Harmonia (; /Ancient Greek phonology, harmoˈnia/, "harmony", "agreement") is the goddess of harmony and concord. Her Greek opposite is Eris (mythology), Eris and her Roman mythology, Roman counterpart is Concordia (mythol ...

, daughter of Gelon, son of Hiero II of Syracuse *69. Busa of Canosa di Puglia *70.

Sophonisba Sophonisba (in Punic language, Punic, 𐤑𐤐𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋 Ṣap̄anbaʿal) (fl. 206 - 203 BC) was a Carthage, Carthaginian noblewoman who lived during the Second Punic War, and the daughter of Hasdrubal Gisco. She held influence over the N ...

, queen of Numidia *71. Theoxena, daughter of Prince Herodicus *72. Berenice, queen of Cappadocia *73. The Wife of Orgiagon the Galatian *74. Tertia Aemilia, wife of the elder Africanus *75. Dripetrua, queen of Laodice *76. Sempronia, daughter of Gracchus *77.

Claudia Quinta Quinta Claudia was a Roman matron said to have been instrumental in bringing the goddess Cybele, "Great Mother" of the gods from her shrine in Greek Asia Minor to Rome in 204 BC, during the last years of Rome's Second Punic War against Carthage. ...

, a Roman woman *78. Hypsicratea, Queen of Pontus *79. Sempronia, a Roman Woman *80. The Wives of the

Cimbri The Cimbri (, ; ) were an ancient tribe in Europe. Ancient authors described them variously as a Celtic, Gaulish, Germanic, or even Cimmerian people. Several ancient sources indicate that they lived in Jutland, which in some classical texts was ...

an *81. Julia, daughter of the dictator Julius Caesar *82. Portia, daughter of Cato Uticensis *83.

Curia Curia (: curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally probably had wider powers, they came to meet ...

, wife of Quintus Lucretius *84. Hortensia, daughter of Quintus Hortensius *85. Sulpicia, wife of Cruscellio *86. Cornificia, a poet *87. Mariamme, queen of Judaea *88.

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

, queen of Egypt *89. Antonia, daughter of Antony *90. Agrippina, wife of Germanicus *91. Paulina, a Roman woman seduced by Decius Mundus pretending to be

Anubis Anubis (; ), also known as Inpu, Inpw, Jnpw, or Anpu in Ancient Egyptian (), is the god of funerary rites, protector of graves, and guide to the underworld in ancient Egyptian religion, usually depicted as a canine or a man with a canine hea ...

*92. Agrippina, mother of the Emperor Nero *93. Epicharis, a freedwoman *94. Pompeia Paulina, wife of Seneca *95.

Poppaea Sabina Poppaea Sabina (30 AD – 65 AD), also known as Ollia, was a Roman empress as the second wife of the emperor Nero. She had also been wife to the future emperor Otho. The historians of antiquity describe her as a beautiful woman who used intrig ...

, wife of Nero *96. Triaria, wife of Lucius Vitellius *97. Proba, wife of Adelphus *98. Faustina Augusta *99. Symiamira, woman of Emesa *100. Zenobia, queen of Palmyra *101. Joan, an Englishwoman and Pope *102. Irene, Empress of Constantinople *103. Gualdrada, a Florentine maiden *104. Constance, Empress of Rome and queen of Sicily *105. Camiola, a Sienese widow *106.

Joanna Joanna is a feminine given name deriving from from . Variants in English include Joan, Joann, Joanne, and Johanna. Other forms of the name in English are Jan, Jane, Janet, Janice, Jean, and Jeanne. The earliest recorded occurrence of th ...

, queen of Jerusalem and Sicily

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The famous women

References

Citations

Bibliography

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