Help bring Anne of France’s manuscript to the French Library
The National Library of France (Bibliothèque nationale de France / BnF) has the opportunity to preserve a unique manuscript—classified as a National Treasure—that had been lost for centuries: Les Enseignements and L'Histoire du siège de Brest by Anne of France, regent of France and one of the most influential women of the Renaissance.
Why support this acquisition?
- To help restore the voice of a powerful woman
The daughter of Louis XI, Anne of France (1461–1522)—also known as Anne de Beaujeu—exercised power in a world where politics was a man’s domain. Around 1504, she wrote an educational treatise for her daughter Suzanne de Bourbon, then 13 years old, drawing on her own experiences. This text, which bears witness to the deep bond between a mother and her daughter, reveals a feminine conception of power that has long remained in the shadows of historical narratives.
- Preserving an exceptional manuscript
Designated a National Treasure, this volume is at once a work of art, a major historical document, and a little-known literary work, shedding light on a long-underappreciated author. As the only known copy of Enseignements in manuscript form, it is also the sole surviving record of Histoire du siège de Brest, Anne de France’s second work. Richly illuminated, this manuscript is identifiable by Suzanne de Bourbon’s autograph bookplate and by an exceptional binding, stamped with Suzanne’s first name and her family’s motto.
- Enriching a major collection
The acquisition of the Enseignements will enrich the collection of Bourbon manuscripts currently held at the BnF, about forty of which come from Anne de France’s library and four of which belonged to Suzanne de Bourbon. It will also help complete the BnF’s collections on the history of women’s literature in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, which already include the most extensive collection of manuscripts by Christine de Pizan.
Finally, thanks to you, it will be preserved, restored, digitized, and made accessible to all.
To enable this exceptional manuscript to take its rightful place within the national collections, €500,000 must be raised by December 31, 2026.