Boccaccio’s Semiramis

Below are two images from different versions of De Mulieribus Claris, introducing the chapter on Semiramis. Semiramis was an Assyrian queen who ruled after her husband’s early death. She was a powerful leader, conquering many regions and usually taking part in the fighting on the battlefield. However, she was also known for taking on many consorts, including her own son.

A Warrior Queen

In the images above, Semiramis’ bravery in battle is reflected by the weapons she holds, while her regal beauty represents her power as queen. However, Semiramis is not pictured in armor, unlike the male guards behind her in the first image. This shows how even though Semiramis was a courageous warrior, she would never be considered an equal to the men she ruled over. This choice was probably influenced by Boccaccio’s text, itself. In De Mulieribus Claris, Boccaccio offered insincere praise of female warriors for overcoming their weak, feminine nature and for emulating masculine qualities.

The lack of armor in these images diminish her status as a warrior, something that Pizan heavily emphasized in Le Livre de la Cité des Dames. However, even the Cité did not picture women in armor, despite Pizan praising many women for their achievements on the battlefield. This is likely because the artists who created these images had very few references of women dressed in armor, making it difficult to mass produce an image with no clear model to use as a precedent.

Women’s Immorality

Although Boccaccio recognized Semiramis’ skills on the battlefield, he also wrote about how her corrupt, feminine nature negated many of those accomplishments.

In the above image, Semiramis, who had disguised herself as her son for the beginning of her time as queen, has just revealed herself to her subjects. Semiramis’ sword lays on the ground, out of her hand. She is also dressed in regal clothing, as compared to the armored male soldiers behind her.

In Boccaccio’s text, he focused on how Semiramis lied for years to the men she ruled over, emphasizing how women are naturally corrupt beings. Thus, it is no surprise that this miniature reflected the negative assumptions made of women in De Mulieribus Claris. The fact that this version of De Mulieribus Claris refers to her deceitful actions rather than to her accomplishments as a warrior and powerful ruler reflects a reluctance to truly celebrate Semiramis as the influential woman that she was. Just like how Boccaccio constantly undermined female achievements by praising them as “manly” undertakings, this image also seems to ignore the positive attributes of Semiramis.

This last image of Semiramis also focuses more on her immoral nature as a woman than on her achievements. While this miniature does depict the statue commemorating a battle Semiramis won, it also shows the queen with the plethora of lovers she was famous for. In the background, Semiramis is depicted in bed with her son, recognized by the crown on his head.

Boccaccio dedicated almost half of his chapter on Semiramis to her lack of chastity, which for him, negated all of her achievements as a warrior and as queen. He especially focused on her incestuous relationship with her son, who eventually killed her because of her promiscuous nature. Again, this image reflects the obsession Boccaccio had with women who did not abide to societal norms and his condemnation of women who were not chaste. Even though this image depicts a statue that celebrates Semiramis, the juxtaposition between it and her licentious behavior reminds the reader that Boccaccio did not want her immorality to be celebrated by his medieval audience.

These last two images speak to why Pizan might have chosen not to include a miniature of each woman before her chapters. In having a picture dedicated to each woman, the artist might feel compelled to depict both the good and the bad parts of the narrative. In Le Livre de la Cité des Dames, Pizan brushed aside Semiramis’ incestuous relationship and did not even mention the deceit of her subjects. For Pizan, Semiramis’ strong leadership skills and military achievements were the focus of her chapter, not her infamous actions.