by Svartisen
Rules for the base game include some information on the characters portrayed on the cards. However, no such information is included in the expansion (at least in Z-Man Games edition). I've only heard of Marie de Champagne, but the remaining ladies were complete strangers to me.Here are short biographies of each of the Ladies:
Jeanne de Champagne (aka Jeanne I of Navarre) - the Queen Regent of Navarre, Countess of Champagne, Queen of France. She was the last member of House of Champagne on Navarrese throne. She married Philip IV of France.
Isabeau de Baverie (aka Elisabeth of Bavaria-Ingolstadt) - Queen of France, the wife of Charles VI The Mad of France. I hope the character card refers to that person. She had nothing in common with Troyes. However, she signed the Treaty of Troyes (the one that was supposed to end Hundred Years's War and gave away the French crown to England) on behalf of her husband. She had a very bad reputation during past few centuries. However, it turned out that she fell victim to political propaganda.
Marie de Champagne (aka Marie of France) - Countess of Champagne. She was the daughter of king Louis VII of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the most fascinating women of medieval times. Marie, the half-sister of Richard I of England, lived up to her mother's reputation. She was an educated woman (she maintained her own library) and patronized many poets, including Chrétien de Troyes, who is another character in the game.
