2016/04/15 by Christine Adams · 1 citation
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Historical Economic and Social Studies #Historical Gender and Feminism Studies #Reformation and Early Modern Christianity #Historiography #Politics #History #Genealogy #Ancient history #Political science #Law #Archaeology
paper · doi:10.17077/1536-8742.2041
openalex publication_date 2016/04/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/04/04
Modern historians have found it difficult to disrupt the narrative inherited from past scholars, who argued that even prominent women lacked any genuine political role in the early modern world. However, in many ways, the personal influence that women exercised in court and salon society was highly political, as was that of men. An examination of the power of highly visible women, for example, famous mistresses such as Madame de Montespan and Madame Tallien, suggests that historians should broaden their understanding of the “political” and more carefully interrogate the activities of female historical figures, rejecting the moralistic accounts that have come down to us.