The women in the 2001 French film Brotherhood of the Wolf each choose a different way to survive, offering them the mistaken impression they’re in control of their own lives.
Of monsters and female rage: an analysis of ‘Brotherhood of the Wolf’
Marguerite de Valois: the indomitable French Princess who became a Queen of two countries
Fiction writers need to embellish very little to turn Marguerite's life into a highly dramatic narrative. This woman truly lived her best life.
Catherine de’Medici: orphan, captive, wife, Queen, mother, politician, survivor
The story of a woman who single-handedly kept France afloat during a time of constant Civil War. And she also sort of invented ballet!
Jeanne de la Motte: the 18th century con woman who destroyed Marie Antoinette and brought about the French Revolution
Jeanne de la Motte was a badass con woman whose scheming basically made the French Revolution happen. Also? Her true story has more plot twists than a lot of fiction.
Versailles
The charmed, decidedly masculine story of one of France's most privileged monarchs.