Des femmes. De mulieribus de Mario Equicola

Written as a tribute to the great Isabella d'Este, Mario Equicola's De mulieribus (1501) is not merely a pro-women treatise; it can be regarded as the first feminist philosophical treatise. Challenging the long-standing ancient and medieval medical tradition, philosophical, religious, and moral prejudices, and the patriarchal foundations of the society of his time, the author expresses outrage at the fate reserved for women, confined within the walls of the family and the home. He puts forward a powerful thesis, advocating for the strict equality of women and men: to princesses, poetesses, artists, philosophers, and all anonymous women, De mulieribus opens the doors to the city and the public sphere. Translated into French for the first time, this short humanist treatise will astonish today’s readers with its rigor and verve.