Although the figure of the warrior woman has always existed as a literary topos, the popularity of the warrior woman figure has never been greater than in the period of the Italian Renaissance. The character of the female warrior in the 14th and 15th centuries in Italy results from many literary traditions ranging from the Amazons of classical and medieval times, to the many versions of the Aeneid to the character of Aigiarne in the Milione of Marco Polo. In addition, other examples exist of female characters who demonstrate their fighting capabilities who, without necessarily being considered warrior women, have helped nonetheless to shape the character of the warrior woman in the Italian Renaissance. The main objective of this thesis is to document the formation of the warrior woman figure in Italian Cavalier Romance poems dating from the late 1300's to the early 1400's before the great poems of Pulci and Boiardo.

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The purpose of this thesis is to analyze and discuss the relationship between the images and texts concerning Amazons and warrior-women in the collected works of Christine de Pizan. It evaluates Christine's interpretation of the ancient story in light of her career as an author and publisher, and it compares her imagery to other representations of Amazons and warrior-women. This study indicates that Christine reworked the myth in a way that reflects her positive of women and her desire to influence the queen of France, Isabeau de Baviere, who was the original owner of the manuscript.