Identifying two works from the library of Queen Leonor (1458-1525): The Book of Good Manners and De Ornatu Mulierum

Abstract

The year 2025 marks the 500th anniversary of the death of Queen Leonor (1458-1525), a unique figure who played an important role in the political, social and cultural history of her time. Books and written culture were an integral part of her interests, and the queen sponsored the publication of seminal works of early Portuguese typography. She also owned a library that we now know to have been remarkable in size for its time. In the context of an overview of her library, this text will give special emphasis to her secular books, highlighting the thematic diversity that reflects the eclecticism of Queen Leonor's interests. In particular, we will identify two works, which are very different in nature but both of great cultural significance.