The Treasure of the City of Ladies

The Treasure of the City of Ladies, also known as The Book of the Three Virtues, is an education manual written by Christine de Pizan and finished by 1405. It was dedicated to Margaret of Burgundy at a time when Christine was also writing works for Margaret's father, John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy.

The work follows The Book of the City of Ladies, in which the author had defended the worth of women through argument and examples, refuting views such as those of Jean de Meun. In the prologue to the Treasure, Christine says that once the Book was finished she wished only to rest, but the three ladies of Virtue who had helped her reproached her for indolence and persuaded her to write a sequel. Addressed to women of all estates, it offers advice on various topics, reaching nuns, married women, unmarried women and even prostitutes.

The work survives in a few 15th-century manuscripts and three printed editions from the 15th and 16th centuries, the last dating from 1536. Later texts published after 1497 explicitly linked it to The City of Ladies. The illustrated manuscripts, supervised by the author, show a simple, Italianate style. Today it is one of her best-known works, mainly because of its study in modern academia.